Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
4th International Forest Entomology and Pathology Symposium, Trabzon, Türkiye, 12 - 14 Mayıs 2022, ss.49
This paper reviews and evaluates the impact of mistletoes on host growth and survival in Turkey. The
European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) is a hemi-parasitic plant growing on many tree species and is
represented by four subspecies with different host species in Europe. Turkey is home to three
subspecies of Viscum album L. found predominantly on coniferous and deciduous tree species. This
pest is mainly found in pine and fir forests in Turkey. Mistletoe infection lead to substantial crown
degradation by reducing the number of needles, needle length and width, and the longevity of needles
on the infected branches. This reduction in foliage biomass results in a decrease in the chlorophyll
content of infected trees. The significant reduction on photosynthetic capacity due to mistletoe infection
leads to branch dieback, resulting in growth loss in host tree. Several studies have examined the impact
of mistletoe infection on growth and development of their host in Turkey. The results of these studies
indicated that radial growth losses reach up to 64% for severely infected trees. In addition, field
observations indicated that severely infected trees become vulnerable to infection by other pathogenic
agents such as insects, which often contribute to the death of host trees. To understand the effect of
mistletoe on the health status and survival of hosts, it is necessary to further study the relationships
between insects and mistletoe and their interactions with host species. The results can be valuable for
the decision-makers managing mistletoe infected forests.