First report of Sirococcus piceicola associated with Sitka spruce seed in Britain

In 2019, as part of a study on seedborne pathogens on a range of conifers done by Forest Research (England, UK), seeds of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) from Wales were tested. From those, 200 seeds were plated in water agar (WA) and incubated at 15°C and 200 were plated on potato dextrose agar amended with 1% streptomycin sulphate (PDA+S) and incubated at 20°C. Additionally, 200 seeds were surface disinfected using 2% NaOCl for 10 min, rinsed in sterile water, air dried and plated on PDA+S and incubated at 20°C. All plates were incubated in the dark and checked regularly for signs of fungal growth. The UK Plant Health Risk Register (https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/phiw/riskRegister/) describes S. piceicola as a fungal pathogen of spruce that can cause similar damage to that caused by closely related Sirococcus species.