Chestnut blight confirmed in Victoria

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Discolouration on the bark caused by cankers of chestnut blight.
Photo: ©Victorian Department of Primary Industries

The disease chestnut blight, caused by the fungal pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica, was detected in a private chestnut planting near Eurobin in the Ovens Valley, north-east Victoria in early September 2010.

A quarantine area has been declared for north-east Victoria and an extensive eradication campaign is ongoing, with no further detections during recent surveys.

Chestnut blight occurs in Japan, China, Korea, USA, Canada and Europe. The main host plants are chestnut and oak. There are currently no known chemical controls for the disease.

The Department of Primary Industries in NSW has conducted surveillance in all major chestnut growing regions with no detections, with a second round of surveillance to commence shortly.

NSW remains free of chestnut blight. A native fungus Holocryphia eucalypti can occasionally cause similar symptoms in chestnut trees and may be mistaken for chestnut blight.

Stakeholders should report all suspect detections of chestnut blight in chestnut and oak to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Typical symptoms include orange stroma on the bark associated with basal cracking and trunk splitting, sunken lesions (or cankers) on stems and discolouration of bark.

Please inspect your oak and chestnut trees for signs of Chestnut blight.

Report anything suspicious to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Images of chestnut blight and its effects

The images displayed on this page are courtesy of the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and are not to be reproduced without permission from that Department.

View large image
Orange stroma visible on the bark or stems and branches.
Photo: ©Victorian Department of Primary Industries

Resources

Further up-to-date information

For up-to-date information, visit the Victorian Department of Primary Industries website (http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au).