First report of Lecanosticta acicola on non-native Pinus mugo in southern Sweden

In 2017, severe symptoms of brown spot needle blight, similar to those caused by Lecanosticta acicola, were observed on needles of non-native Pinus mugo var. Hesse planted in an arboretum in southern Sweden. Microscopic characterization and molecular diagnostics of isolates obtained from diseased needles confirmed the identity of L. acicola. This is the first report of the quarantine pathogen L. acicola in Sweden. Subsequent surveys are urgently needed to assess the presence and extent of the L. acicola invasion in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries.