Morphological features of coniferous trees and shrubs. Coniferous plants: their distribution and main characteristics Characteristic features of coniferous plants table

General signs

About 700 species belong to the family of gymnosperms. Gymnosperms reproduce by seeds. Therefore, these are seed, and not spore plants. However, their ovules and seeds are more or less open. They do not have pistils, like flowering plants, there are no ovaries and fruits.

General signs of conifers

All conifers are trees, rarely shrubs. Their leaves are needle-shaped or scaly, evergreen (except for larch), slightly evaporating water. They have well-developed wood, but there are no real vessels. As a result, water moves more slowly than in flowering plants, due to which the evaporation of moisture decreases. All conifers form a resin that heals wounds in places of damage. Conifers have male and female cones.

In Russia, the following genera of conifers are most common in nature: spruce, pine, fir, larch, juniper.

Pine and spruce structure

Pine is a tall slender tree. In old pines grown in the forest, the lowest branches are located at least 10 m from the surface of the earth; in lone pines, the trunk is lower and thicker. The largest branches of the pine tree are in whorls; they can be used to approximately determine the age of the tree (but not very old). The needles are arranged in pairs, on strongly shortened shoots. They are covered with a thick skin; stomata are in depressions. There are only two vascular bundles, and they do not branch. Such a structure allows the pine, like most other conifers, to save moisture (after all, they do not have real vessels).

Spruce is no less tall tree. Spruce leaves are also needles, shorter and prickly, descending onto the stem.

The ecological and biological features of spruce and pine are also different. Pine is photophilous, cannot grow under the canopy of spruce; needles exist 2 - 3 years; can grow on poor soils, sands, rocks, swamps; thick cork of the trunks allows you to endure not very strong fires; the root system is usually pivotal (surface only in swamps). Shade-tolerant spruce, grows well under a pine canopy; needles exist for 6-8 years (in the mountains - up to 15 years); grows well only on rich soils; the cork is thin, does not protect well from fires; the root system is superficial.

Thus, pine is in some respects more competitive than spruce, in others less so. In general, this determines their complex relationship.

Pine breeding

Male cones are small, yellow, collected in large groups ("coshishia"). Each cone consists of an axis on which scales are located. On each scale, on its lower side, there are two pollen sacs, where pollen ripens. Thus, the scales correspond to the stamens of flowering plants. The speck of dust has two large air sacs and is easily carried over tens and even hundreds of meters.

The female cone is the axis on which the scales are located. On the upper side of each scale there are two ovules, facing the pollen entrances to the base of the scale. When dust particles land on female cones, the latter are only about 5 mm long. Fertilization occurs only next summer. By this time, eggs are formed inside the ovules, a nutrient tissue appears - the endosperm. In dust particles, male gametes are formed - sperm. They are devoid of flagella, as in flowering plants.

After fertilization, the ovule turns into a seed. It consists of a seed coat, endosperm and an embryo that develops from a fertilized egg - a zygote. Thus, the seed of pine, and indeed of other conifers, is in general similar to the seed of flowering plants. But the endosperm here is of a different origin. It was formed from the body of the germ.

Periodization in pine reproduction is as follows.

First summer. The female cones are reddish, about 5 mm long. The ovules do not yet contain eggs and endosperm. Dust particles fall on female cones.

Second summer. The female cones are green, about 3-4 cm long. The ovules produced the endosperm and eggs. Fertilization takes place.

Next winter. Female cones are brown, about 5-6 cm long. The ovules have turned into seeds. At the end of winter, the seeds, equipped with membranous wings, are dispersed by the wind.

It should be borne in mind that in the same pine one can see female cones of different ages at the same time.

Variety of conifers. About a third of all coniferous species are pines. All pines have shortened shoots, but not necessarily with two needles - there are 3, 4 and 5 of them. (For example, 5 needles in cedar pines that give "pine nuts." In Siberia and the Far East, where they grow, the population calls them cedars, which is inaccurate) Real cedars in Russia do not grow in the wild. Pines also differ from each other in the length of the needles (up to 30 cm long), the shape and size of the cones (in some pines weighing up to 2 kg).

Fir. Grows wildly in Siberia, the Urals, the Caucasus, the Carpathians. It looks a bit like a spruce, but the needles are flat (the spruce has a trihedral), and the cones stand like candles (the spruce hangs down).

Larch. Grows wildly mainly in Siberia. Needles in bunches, soft. Deciduous tree, often bred in cities.

Juniper ordinary. A protected, slow growing and in many areas endangered tree species. Cones with very juicy scales, similar to berries.

Cypress. On the territory of our country it is found only in culture in the Caucasus. The needles are not needle-shaped, but in the form of scales.

Thuya. It is also found in mid-latitudes, but also in culture. It looks like a cypress, but the shoots seem to be flattened.

We note some record indicators characteristic of conifers.

Sequoia evergreen (USA, areas near the Pacific Ocean) - the tallest tree in the world (up to 120 m).

Fir Nordmann (Caucasus) - the tallest tree in Russia (up to 60-70 m).

Spiny pine (USA, California) is the longest-lived tree in the world, up to almost 5000 years.

The value of conifers. Conifers are of great importance as forest-forming species. In the moderately cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere, most of the forest area is occupied by coniferous forests. Their valuable timber is used for construction. Coniferous forests are often rapaciously cut down. The most important task of forestry is the restoration of coniferous forests.

What are the common features of the conifer class? Let's try to highlight the characteristic features of conifers

Characteristic features of conifers

Coniferous plants have a number of common features:

a) life forms - trees, shrubs, no grasses;

b) the leaves are modified in the form of needles (spruce, pine) or scaly (cypress, thuja)

c) well-developed wood. The stem of conifers has a thin bark and massive wood, which is 90% tracheids and, unlike angiosperms, includes very little parenchyma.

d) In most conifers, a strong tap root is developed, from which long lateral roots extend. In addition to long roots, there are short, shallow roots that are highly branched and perform a suction function and are often mycorrhizal.

e) reproduce by seeds, but the seeds are open, there is no ovary, therefore conifers are classified as gymnosperms;

g) conifers are of great economic importance. Wood is used in the woodworking, paper industry, in the manufacture of furniture, musical instruments. Conifers emit substances - phytoncides, which have useful properties, so many sanatoriums are located in coniferous forests.

variety of conifers

Approximately 1/3 of all types of conifers are pines. Pines differ from each other in the number of needles and their length. For example, in Siberian pine, gives pine nuts, five needles. In Siberia and the Far East, where they grow, the population calls them cedars, which is wrong.

Spruce. It grows wild in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America. This is the most important forest species. The trunk is straight, the crown is cone-shaped. The needles are tetrahedral, sharp. Cones hanging down, up to 15 cm long.

Fir. It grows wild in Siberia, the Urals, the Caucasus, and the Carpathians. It looks a bit like a spruce, but the needles are flat (they have a four-sided shape), and the cones stand like candles (they hang down from the spruce).

Larch. In the wild, it is found only in Siberia, where it forms larch forests. The needles are collected in bunches, soft, changing annually. Larch is often bred in cities.

Juniper ordinary. A protected, slow growing and in many areas endangered wood. Cones with very juicy scales, similar to berries. Fragrant wood.

Cypress. Needles in the form of scales. Grows in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Thuya. It occurs wild in mid-latitudes, but cultivated and ornamental species are also common. It looks like a cypress, but the shoots seem to be flattened.

Interesting facts about coniferous plants

Among conifers there are real champions. So, evergreen sequoia (USA, areas near the Pacific Ocean) - the tallest tree in the world - reaches 120 m, trunk diameter 10-12 m), life expectancy - 3-4 thousand years.

Fir Nordmann (Caucasus) - the tallest tree in Russia, up to 60-70 m.

Spiny pine (USA. California) is a long-lived tree, life expectancy is almost 5000 years.

One of the most common representatives of the plant kingdom is conifers. They grow almost all over the land, but mostly in the temperate climate zone. Coniferous plants are widely used by man and are very important for his life. In addition to being the main supplier of oxygen on Earth, needles are used in cosmetology and medicine, wood is used to make furniture and build houses, and decorative species are used in gardening and park art. All representatives of this class are very different from the rest, as they have a number of features.

Characteristics of conifers

About 600 species belong to this class. Some of them are widespread, while others are quite rare. These plants were named so because the leaves of almost all of them are modified into needles, called needles. And in botany they are classified as gymnosperms. All of them are characterized by the fact that the seeds develop in their cones. How else is the class of conifers different from the rest?

• These are the most ancient representatives of the plant kingdom. Their remains are found in layers belonging to the Carboniferous period. Moreover, they were then widespread even beyond the Arctic Circle.
• Almost all modern conifers are trees. And their structure is also different from all the others. They have one trunk with shoots extending from it in different directions.

• Many representatives of coniferous plants are centenarians. Now there is a North American pine, whose age is almost five thousand years, and the mammoth tree lives about 3000 years.
• In terms of size, coniferous plants also belong to the champions. The tallest tree in the world is the sequoia. Its height can reach more than 110 meters. The thickness of the trunk of conifers is also striking in its size: in the Mexican swamp cypress and mammoth tree, it reaches 12-16 meters.
• The features of all conifers also include the presence of resin in their wood. It is thick, has a strong smell and healing properties.
• All representatives of conifers are used by humans in one way or another and are one of the most needed plants on Earth.

Appearance

Mostly trees belong to this class, but there are also tree-like shrubs. Almost all conifers are evergreen, only a few less common species shed their leaves. It is quite easy to distinguish representatives of this class from the rest by the special structure of the leaves. Almost all of them are changed into needles - needle-shaped shoots or flat scales. They have a small surface and evaporate little water. This makes it possible for such plants not to shed their leaves in winter. In addition, the features of the geographical distribution of conifers explain other features of their leaves. They are arranged on the branches in a spiral and have a dark green color. This gives them the opportunity to capture diffused sunlight, because conifers grow mainly in northern and temperate latitudes. Almost all such plants have a dense tree trunk, but thin bark. They have a powerful taproot with lateral branches. This is necessary so that the plant can get water from great depths and stay in mountainous and sandy areas.

Distribution of conifers

They mainly grow in temperate climates. Sufficient soil moisture is necessary for their vital activity. Therefore, coniferous forests are common in northern and temperate latitudes. Some of their representatives are found even close to the border of permafrost. Their further advance to the north is hindered by the impossibility of extracting water in such conditions. In warm latitudes, they are found only in the mountains, where it is not very hot.

Basically, all conifers are concentrated near the Pacific Ocean, where conditions are most favorable for them. Most of them are distributed in the northern hemisphere, but they are also found in Australia, New Zealand and South America. We can say that in every corner of the globe there are coniferous plants.

Names of the most common genera

• Pine.
• Cedar.
• Fir.
• Larch.
• Sequoia.
• Cypress.
• Juniper.

Coniferous plants for the garden

Many gardeners use them in the design of the site. Even an ordinary spruce or pine brought from the forest can decorate the garden. But ornamental species grown in a nursery take root better. The richness and variety of shades and sizes of coniferous plants allows you to decorate any site. Even for a small flower bed there are dwarf species, and tall trees give the garden, especially over a large area, an unusual look and magnificence. The most common conifers for the garden are spruce and pine. They can be used as hedges and borders. Pine tolerates pruning well and can be given any shape. Medium-sized plants - thuja spherical, juniper and cypress - are also very in demand, as they look beautiful in any area. Flower beds can also be decorated with creeping varieties of juniper and other dwarf species.

Natalia Dudareva, landscaping engineer:

In autumn (and sometimes in May) any pines turn yellow - ordinary, mountain, black, cedar and others. It is easy to understand whether a tree is dying or, despite its yellowness, it feels great.

The expression: “Conifers are evergreens” is just a figure of speech. In fact, they periodically change their needles - and this is an absolutely normal process. Only, unlike deciduous ones, they do this not annually, but about once every 2-4 years. This means that a needle "born" this year will remain green from 1 to 4 years. If the tree is well, it will change needles less often, and if it has just been transplanted or has experienced other stress, more often.

We go from the top

Looking at a pine branch from top to bottom, it is very easy to see how it has grown. You can calculate how old she is in places where the side branches depart from the main branch - the so-called whorls. From the top to the nearest whorl - the growth of this year, then - the past, the year before last, and so on. And literally everything depends on where the yellowness appears!

On healthy pine branches, the youngest needles (i.e., on the growth of the current year) are always green. In addition, a bud (or several buds) should be laid at the tip of each shoot. Outside, they are covered with gray-brown scales and resin, and inside, if they are broken, they are green and fresh. The larger and fatter the buds, the better the tree feels.

If your pine is exactly like this, great. On the contrary, if the needles turn yellow precisely at the ends of the shoots, and the buds dry up, this is a very bad sign: either a separate branch or the entire tree dies.

The needles on the growth of the previous (second) year in pine, as a rule, should also be green. But if it begins to die off, this is simply a sign that the tree is weakened for some reason and is shedding "ballast" that the roots are unable to feed. Next year, it is desirable to water such a pine on time and properly, and in the spring to feed it with complex fertilizer for conifers. But she's not going to die, don't worry!

If the needles of the year before last turn yellow, this is completely normal. But if it suddenly remains green - your pine feels just fine and thus thanks you for the good care.

What about pests and diseases?

And the last. Take a look at the needles themselves. Suspicious objects such as white cotton flakes, cobwebs, black soot, or rust spots may indicate the presence of pests or common conifer diseases. They are moderately dangerous and can be controlled with systemic insecticides and fungicides. But with one exception.

Carefully inspect the stems and thick branches of pines, especially near the whorls. Are there holes on them, is there under these holes the so-called drilling flour - brown smallest chips, does the bark fall off? If there is, the tree is most likely doomed to die, even though its shoots are alive and well. After all, these signs indicate the presence of, perhaps, the most dangerous pest of conifers - the bark beetle. Such a spruce or pine tree must be immediately cut down and the bark must be removed from the log so that it does not become a breeding ground for new hordes of beetles.

They do not lose their attractiveness and decorativeness throughout the year, and, as a rule, live longer than many hardwoods. They are an excellent material for creating compositions due to the diverse shape of the crown and the color of the needles. The most widely used in professional and amateur landscaping are coniferous shrubs such as junipers, yew, thuja; from wood - pine, larch, spruce. Therefore, information about their main diseases seems to be relevant. The issue of treating conifers is especially acute in the spring, when you have to deal with burning, winter desiccation and infectious diseases on plants weakened after winter.

First of all, it should be mentioned non-communicable diseases, caused by the negative impact on the growth and development of coniferous plants of adverse environmental conditions. Although conifers are demanding on high soil and air moisture, excessive moisture associated with natural waterlogging, rising groundwater levels, spring floods and heavy autumn precipitation leads to yellowing and necrotic needles. The same symptoms very often appear due to lack of moisture in the soil and low air humidity.

Tui, spruce, yew are very sensitive to drying out of the roots, therefore, immediately after planting, it is recommended to mulch their near-stem circles with peat and grass cut from lawns, if possible, maintain mulching throughout the entire time of their growth, and water regularly. Pines, arborvitae and junipers are the most drought-resistant. In the first year after planting, it is advisable to spray young plants with water in the evening hours and shade them during the hot period. The overwhelming majority of conifers are shade-tolerant; when grown in open sunny places, they may lag behind in growth, their needles may turn yellow and even die off. On the other hand, many of them cannot stand strong shading, especially light-requiring pines and larches. To protect the bark from sunburn, it can be whitewashed with lime or a special whitewash in early spring or late autumn.

The condition and appearance of plants largely depend on the availability of nutrients and the balance of their ratios. The lack of iron in the soil leads to yellowing and even whitening of the needles on individual shoots; with a lack of phosphorus, young needles acquire a red-violet hue; with a nitrogen deficiency, plants grow noticeably worse, become chlorotic. The best growth and development of plants occurs on drained and well-cultivated soils provided with nutrients. Slightly acidic or neutral soil is preferred. It is recommended to fertilize with special fertilizers intended for coniferous plants. In suburban areas, conifers may suffer from frequent visits by dogs and cats, causing an excessive concentration of salts in the soil. On thuja and juniper in such cases, shoots with red needles appear, subsequently drying out.

Low temperatures in winter and spring frosts cause freezing of the crown and roots, while the needles become dry, acquire a reddish color, die off, and the bark cracks. The most winter-hardy are spruces, pines, fir, arborvitae, junipers. The branches of coniferous plants can break off from the necklace and snow break in winter.

Many conifers are sensitive to air pollution from harmful industrial and automotive gaseous impurities. This is manifested, first of all, by yellowing, starting from the ends of the needles and their falling off (dying off).

Conifers are rarely severely affected infectious diseases, although in some cases they can suffer greatly from them. Young plants are generally less resistant to a complex of non-infectious and infectious diseases, their resistance increases with age.

Types of soil-dwelling fungi genera Python(pitium) And Rhizoctonia(rhizoctonia) lead roots of seedlings to decay and die off often cause significant losses of young plants in schools and containers.

The causative agents of tracheomycotic wilt are most often anamorphic fungi. Fusarium oxysporum, which are soil pathogens. The affected roots turn brown, the mycelium penetrates the vascular system and fills it with its biomass, which stops the access of nutrients, and the affected plants, starting from the upper shoots, wither. The needles turn yellow, redden and fall off, and the plants themselves gradually dry out. Seedlings and young plants are most affected. The infection persists in plants, plant debris and spreads with infected planting material or infected soil. The development of the disease contributes to: stagnant water in low areas, lack of sunlight.

Healthy planting material should be used as a protective measure. Timely remove all dried plants with roots, as well as affected plant residues. For preventive purposes, short-term soaking of young plants with an open root system is carried out in a solution of one of the preparations: Baktofit, Vitaros, Maxim. At the first symptoms, the soil is shed with a solution of one of the biological products: Fitosporin-M, Alirin-B, Gamair. For the purpose of prevention, the soil is shed with Fundazol.

Gray mold (rot) affects the aerial parts of young plants, especially in unventilated areas with a strong thickening of plantings and insufficient lighting. Affected shoots become gray-brown, as if covered with a layer of dust.

In addition to these diseases, which are widespread on hardwoods, there are diseases that are characteristic only for conifers. First of all, they are shute, the causative agents of which are some types of ascomycete fungi.

real schütte Lophodermium seditiosum- one of the main causes of premature fall of pine needles. Mostly young plants are affected, incl. in the open field of nurseries, and weakened trees, which can lead to their death due to strong fall of needles. During spring and early summer, the needles turn brown and fall off. In autumn, small yellowish dots are noticeable on the needles, gradually growing and turning brown, later on dead, crumbling needles, dotted black fruiting bodies are formed - apothecia, with which the fungus is preserved.

Common Schutte Pine, which has similar symptoms and development cycle causes Lophodermium pinastri. In autumn or more often in the spring of the next year, the needles turn yellow or become reddish-brown and die off. Then, the fruiting bodies of the fungus are formed on it in the form of small black strokes or dots, blackening and increasing by autumn. Thin dark transverse lines appear on the needles. Moderately warm weather, drizzling rains and dews contribute to the dispersal of spores and infection of needles. Weakened plants in nurseries and cultures up to 3 years of age and self-sowing pines are more often affected and die.

Called by a fungus Phlacidium infestans, which affects mainly pine species. It is especially harmful in snowy areas, where it sometimes completely destroys the renewal of Scots pine.

It develops under snow cover and develops relatively quickly even at temperatures around 0 degrees. Mycelium grows from needle to needle and often further to neighboring plants. After the snow melts, dead needles and often shoots turn brown and die. Diseased plants are covered with grayish mycelial films that quickly disappear. During the summer, the needles die off, becoming reddish-red, later light gray. It crumbles, but almost does not fall off. At the twisted pine ( Pinus contorta) dead needles are more reddish than those of Scots pine. By autumn, apothecia become visible, like small dark dots scattered over the needles. Ascospores from these are spread by air currents onto living pine needles just before they are usually covered with snow. The development of the fungus is favored by drizzling rains, snowfall and melting in autumn, mild snowy winters, and long spring.

Brown Shutte, or brown snow mold of conifers affects pines, fir, spruces, cedars, junipers, is caused by a fungus Herpotrichia nigra. It occurs more often in nurseries, young stands, self-sowing and young undergrowth. This disease manifests itself in early spring after the snow has melted, and the primary infection of needles with bag spores occurs in the fall. The disease develops under snow at a temperature not lower than 0.5 ° C. The lesion is detected after the snow melts: on the brown dead needles, a black-gray cobweb coating of mycelium is noticeable, and then dotted fruiting bodies of the pathogen fungus. The needles do not fall off for a long time, thin branches die off. The development of the disease is facilitated by high humidity, the presence of depressions in the sown areas, and the thickening of plants.

Signs of defeat juniper schütte(causative agent - fungus Lophodermium juniperinum) appear at the beginning of summer on last year's needles, which acquire a dirty yellow or brown color and do not crumble for a long time. From the end of summer, round black up to 1.5 mm fruiting bodies are visible on the surface of the needles, in which marsupial sporulation of the fungus persists in winter. The disease develops intensively on weakened plants, in humid conditions, it can lead to plant death.

Protective measures against schütte include the selection of planting material that is resistant in origin, giving the plants as much resistance as possible, timely thinning, and the use of fungicidal sprays. Shaded plants are most susceptible to the disease. The harmfulness of shyutte increases with high snow cover and its long-term melting. In forests and parks, instead of natural regeneration, planting of plants of the required origin is recommended. Planted plants are more evenly distributed over the area, making it more difficult for mycelium to infect one plant from another, in addition, they quickly reach a height above the critical level. In those areas where schütte damages Scotch pine, you can use lodgepole pine or European spruce, which is extremely rarely affected. Only healthy planting material should be used. It is recommended to remove fallen diseased needles and cut off dried branches in a timely manner.

Fungicidal treatments must be used in nurseries. Spraying with copper and sulfur preparations (for example, Bordeaux mixture, Abiga-Peak or HOM, lime-sulfur decoction) in early spring and autumn effectively reduces the development of diseases. With the manifestation of the disease to a strong extent in the summer, spraying is repeated.

Of particular importance for conifers are rust diseases, caused by fungi of the department Basidiomycota, class Uredinomycetes, affecting the needles and bark of shoots, virtually all of their pathogens are heterogeneous, and from conifers they pass to other plants, causing their defeat. Let us describe some of them.

Cone rust, spruce spinner. On the inside of spruce scales, which is an intermediate host of the rust fungus Puccinia strumareolatum, rounded dusty dark brown aetiopustules appear. Cones are wide open, hanging for several years. The seeds are inconsistent. Sometimes shoots are bent, the disease in this form is called spruce spinner. The main host is bird cherry, on the leaves of which small round light purple uredinio-, then black teliopustules appear.

Summons a Rusty Miscellaneous Fungus Melampsora pinitorqua. The aecial stage develops on the pine, as a result of which its shoots bend S-shaped, the top of the shoot dies off. Aspen is the main host. In summer, small yellow urediniopustules form on the underside of the leaves, spores from which cause mass infection of the leaves. Then, by autumn, black teliopustules are formed, in the form of which the fungus overwinters on plant debris.

Rust pine needles cause several species of the genus Coleosporium. It mainly affects biconiferous species of the genus Pinus, is found everywhere in their ranges, mainly in nurseries and young stands. The eciostage of the fungus develops in spring on pine needles. Yellow vesicle-shaped aetsiopustules are arranged in disorder on both sides of the needles, urediospores and teliospores are formed on coltsfoot, ragwort, sow thistle, bluebell and other herbaceous plants. With a strong spread of the disease, the needles turn yellow prematurely and fall off, and the plants lose their decorative effect.

Miscellaneous mushroom Cronartium Ribicola causes pine spinner(five-coniferous pines) , or columnar rust of currant. First, the infection of the needles occurs, gradually the fungus spreads into the bark and wood of the branches and trunks. Resin is observed in the affected areas, and aesiopustules appear in the form of yellow-orange vesicles from the ruptures of the cortex. Under the influence of the mycelium, a thickening is formed, which eventually turns into open wounds, the overlying part of the shoot dries up or bends. Currant is an intermediate host, gooseberries can also rarely be affected, numerous pustules form on the underside of their leaves in the form of small columns, orange, then brown.

Mushrooms of the genus Gymnosporangium (G. comfusum, G. juniperinu, G. sabinae), pathogens juniper rust affect cotoneaster, hawthorn, apple, pear, quince, which are intermediate hosts. In spring, the disease develops on their foliage, causing the formation of yellowish outgrowths (pustules) on the underside of the leaves, and round orange spots with black dots are noticeable on the top (aecial stage). From the end of summer, the disease passes to the main host plant - juniper (teliostage). From autumn and early spring, yellow-orange gelatinous masses of sporulation of the pathogen fungus appear on its needles and branches. Fusiform thickenings appear on the affected parts of the branches, and the death of individual skeletal branches begins. On the trunks, more often on the root neck, swellings and swells form, on which the bark dries out and shallow wounds open. Over time, the affected branches dry out, the needles turn brown and crumble. The infection persists in the affected juniper bark. The disease is chronic, almost incurable.

Rust of birch, larch - Melampsoridium betulinum. Small yellow pustules appear on the underside of birch and alder leaves in spring, yellowing, shoot growth decreases. In the larch, which is the main host, the needles turn yellow in summer.

As protective measures against rust diseases it is possible to recommend spatial isolation from affected plants that have a common causative agent of the disease. So, you should not grow poplar and aspen next to pines, five-needle pines should be isolated from blackcurrant plantings. Cutting out affected shoots, increasing resistance through the use of microfertilizers and immunostimulants will reduce the harmfulness of rusts.

causative agents drying of juniper branches there may be several mushrooms: Cytospora pini, Diplodia juniperi, Henderson notha, Phoma juniperi, Phomopsis juniperovora, Rhabdospora sabinae. Drying of the bark and the formation of numerous brown and black fruiting bodies on it are observed. The needles turn yellow and fall off, the branches of the bushes dry out. The infection persists in the bark of affected branches and unharvested plant debris. The spread is facilitated by dense plantings and the use of infected planting material.

Tui can often also appear drying, drying of shoots and branches, caused more often by the same fungal pathogens. A typical manifestation is yellowing and falling of leaves from the ends of the shoot, browning of the young growth of branches; in humid conditions, sporulation of fungi is noticeable on the affected parts.

The causative agent of which is a fungus Pestalotiopsis funerea causes necrosis of the bark of branches and browning of the needles. On the affected tissues, olive-black sporulation of the fungus is formed in the form of separate pads. With a strong drying of the branches in hot weather, the pads dry up and take on the appearance of crusts. With an abundance of moisture, a grayish-black mycelium develops on the affected needles and bark of the stems. Affected branches and needles turn yellow and dry out. The infection persists in the affected plant debris and in the bark of drying branches.

Sometimes appears on juniper plants biorelloma cancer. Its causative agent is a fungus Biatorella difformis, is the conidial stage of the marsupial fungus Biatoridina pinastri. With mechanical damage to the branches, over time, pathogenic microorganisms begin to develop in the bark and wood, causing necrosis of the bark. The fungus spreads in the tissues of the bark, the bark turns brown, dries, cracks. The wood gradually dies off and longitudinal ulcers form. Over time, rounded fruiting bodies are formed. The defeat and death of the bark leads to the fact that the needles turn yellow and dry out. The infection persists in the bark of the affected branches.

Pathogen juniper nectar cancer is a marsupial Nectria cucurbitula, with conidial stage Zythia cucurbitula. Numerous brick-red sporulation pads up to 2 mm in diameter are formed on the surface of the affected bark; over time, they darken and dry out. The development of the fungus causes the death of the bark and bast of individual branches. The needles turn yellow and fall off, the affected branches and entire bushes dry up. The infection persists in the bark of affected branches and plant debris. The spread of infection is facilitated by dense plantings and the use of infected planting material.

In recent years, many cultures, incl. conifers, mushrooms of the genus Alternaria. Pathogen juniper Alternariosis is a mushroom Alternaria tenuis. On the needles affected by it, which becomes brown, a velvety black coating appears on the branches. The disease manifests itself when plantings are thickened on the branches of the lower tier. The infection persists in the affected needles and bark of branches and in plant debris.

To combat desiccation and Alternaria, you can use preventive spraying of plants in spring and autumn with a Bordeaux mixture, Abiga-Peak, and copper oxychloride. If necessary, in the summer, spraying is repeated every 2 weeks. The use of healthy planting material, timely pruning of affected branches, disinfection of individual wounds and all cuts with a solution of copper sulphate, and smearing with oil paint on natural drying oil significantly reduce the prevalence of diseases.

larch cancer causes marsupial fungus Lachnellulawillkommii. Its mycelium spreads in the bark and wood of larch branches during its spring and autumn growth dormancy. The following summer, new bark and wood are built up around the wound. As preventive protective measures, it is recommended to plant resistant larch species, grow them in favorable conditions, do not thicken, and avoid frost damage.

On the stems of conifers, some types of fungi can settle tinder fungus, forming rather large fruiting bodies on the bark, annual and perennial, causing cracking of the bark, as well as rot of roots and wood. For example, pine wood affected by a root sponge is purple at first, then white spots appear on it, which turn into voids. Wood becomes cellular, sieve.

Tui stem rot is often caused by tinder fungi: pine sponge Porodaedalea pini, causing variegated-red rot of the trunk and tinder fungus Schweinitz - Phaeolus schweinitzii, which is the causative agent of brown central fissured root rot. In both cases, fruiting bodies of the fungus are formed on the rotten wood. In the first case, they are perennial, woody, the upper part is dark brown, up to 17 cm in diameter; in the second mushroom, annual fruiting bodies in the form of flat caps, often on stalks, are arranged in groups. Affected plants gradually die, and unharvested dried plants and their parts are the source of infection.

It is necessary to cut out diseased, damaged, dried branches in a timely manner, cut off the fruiting bodies of tinder fungi. Wound injuries are cleaned and treated with putty or paint based on drying oil. Use healthy planting material. It is possible to carry out preventive spraying of plants in spring and autumn with a Bordeaux mixture or its substitutes. Be sure to uproot the stumps.