Fungus Affecting Persimmon Trees

Identification

• Persimmon trees are susceptible to persimmon wilt, a potentially fatal fungal disorder caused by an infection from Cephalosporium diospyri. The fungus is systemic in nature and affects the trees by damaging its vascular or water and nutrient conducting system. Infection spreads rapidly, leading to the death of entire groves in a relatively short period of time.

Susceptible Varieties

• The disease is more frequently seen on the American persimmon varieties than the Oriental persimmons -- and has been the cause of extensive damage in the central Tennessee regions and many southeastern states. The Oriental persimmon is nearly immune to the infection, except in cases where it's been grafted on an American persimmon rootstock. The fungus was first identified in 1936 in Tennessee and is rated along with chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease and elm phloem necrosis as among the worst hardwood-tree disorders, as cited by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Symptoms

• The disease has all the common symptoms associated with any other type of vascular wilt disorder. Initial symptoms include the sudden wilting of the foliage. In the next phase, the affected leaves start to fall and the branches start to die, beginning at the top of the tree. A sick tree does not live past 1 or 2 years of age following infection. There are no disease-resistant persimmon varieties.

Management

• Control pests like the powder-post beetle and the twig girdler around tree to reduce chances of infection, as these are the major disease vectors. Paint the cuts and bruises on healthy trees growing around infected trees to eliminate entry sites for the fungus. Prune trees properly and avoid damaging trees unnecessarily, since it's through tree wounds that the fungus infects trees. There is no cure if the tree is infected. Remove sick trees entirely, including the roots, and dispose by burning.