Abstract
SILVER leaf is one of the most serious diseases with which fruit growers have to contend, and the Advisory Leaflet No. 246 issued by the Ministry of Agriculture should do much to clear up misunderstandings on the nature of the disease and thereby improve the methods of control. Stereum purpureum is a parasitic fungus which attacks the living tissues of the wood by means of wound penetration. It does not occur in the foliage, and the silvering of the leaves is merely a secondary effect of the attack. Discoloration and eventual death of the infected woody parts of the tree occur, followed by the development of fruiting bodies, by means of which the disease is spread. Illustrations of these fructifications are given, for their recognition on dying trees, old stumps or logs is important if adequate control of the disease is to to be obtained.
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Silver Leaf Disease. Nature 149, 635 (1942). https://doi.org/10.1038/149635e0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/149635e0