Phosphonate soil treatments improve tree health and suppress foliar nematode populations in American beech with beech leaf disease

Sunday, November 13, 2022

9:30 AM – 9:45 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 121

Presenting Author(s)

DH

Daniel Herms

Davey Tree Expert Company
Kent, Ohio

Co-author(s)

DV

Daniel Volk

Cleveland Metroparks
Cleveland, Ohio
CH

Constance Hausman

Cleveland Metroparks
Cleveland, Ohio
AP

Anand B. Persad, BCE

Director of Research Science and Innovation
ACRT Services
Micanopy, Florida
BH

Brady Holko

Davey Tree Expert Company
Kent, Ohio

American beech (Fagus grandifolia) exhibiting symptoms of beech leaf disease were treated with soil applications of potassium phosphite from 2017-2022. After four years, treated trees on average had 3-fold greater canopy cover as untreated control trees, and half the number of fine dead twigs and branches. Potassium phosphite treatments also reduced densities of foliar nematodes presumed to be the causal agent by 20-fold relative to densities in untreated trees.