Botryosphaeria Dieback
Botryosphaeria dothidea
114 host plants · Fungal
Last updated
You'll see branch dieback starting with cankers on trees already stressed by drought or winter injury. Cut back affected limbs to healthy, non-discolored wood, removing all tissue showing browning. Improve growing conditions with consistent watering and proper care, as this fungus primarily exploits weak plants. Maintaining tree vigor through proper nutrition and irrigation is your primary defense. Prune during dry weather.
Plant cultivars adapted to the area grown. Remove and destroy all dead and dying branches below the discolored wood.
Quick Reference
Agent Type
fungal
Causal Agent
Botryosphaeria dothidea
Host Plants
114
Spread
wind
Favorable Conditions
Stress-triggered activation is the key trigger rather than weather-dependent ...
Management
Vulnerability Window
Year-round risk of infection through wounds, but symptom expression (stress activation) typically occurs mid-summer through fall (June–Oct in Puget Sound region) when drought and heat stress are greatest. Frost-damaged plants show symptoms in spring (March–April). Late-season fertilization combined with summer heat creates peak vulnerability. Winter injury or early spring frost predisposes plants to symptom expression in subsequent months.
What Triggers Infection
Stress-triggered activation is the key trigger rather than weather-dependent infection. Drought stress, extreme heat (>85°F), frost damage, late-season fertilization, or overall poor vigor activate latent infections and cause symptom expression. Once activated, disease progression is accelerated by continued drought or heat stress. Wet weather facilitates spore release from pycnidia on cankered tissues, spreading disease within an already-stressed plant.
Cultural Controls
- Plant cultivars adapted to the area grown.
- Remove and destroy all dead and dying branches below the discolored wood.
- Avoid late season fertility that produces lush growth into the late fall.
Host Plants (114)
Rhododendron 'Alice' Alice Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Anah Kruschke' Anah Kruschke Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Anna Rose Whitney' Anna Rose Whitney Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Argosy' Argosy Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Bruce Briggs' Bruce Briggs Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Capistrano' Capistrano Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Carmen' Carmen Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Cheer' Cheer Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Cilpinense' Cilpinense Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Crest' Crest Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' Cunningham's White Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Cynthia' Cynthia Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Dora Amateis' Dora Amateis Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Dreamland' Dreamland Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Elizabeth' Elizabeth Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Fantastica' Fantastica Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Gibraltar' Gibraltar Azalea Rhododendron 'Girard's Fuchsia' Girard's Fuchsia Azalea Rhododendron 'Glacier' Glacier Azalea Rhododendron 'Goldflimmer' Goldflimmer Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Gomer Waterer' Gomer Waterer Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Hallelujah' Hallelujah Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Hino-Crimson' Hino-Crimson Azalea Rhododendron 'Horizon Monarch' Horizon Monarch Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Hotei' Hotei Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Jock' Jock Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Klondyke' Klondyke Azalea Rhododendron 'Lee's Dark Purple' Lee's Dark Purple Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Lord Roberts' Lord Roberts Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Mandarin Lights' Mandarin Lights Azalea Rhododendron 'Moonstone' Moonstone Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Mother's Day' Mother's Day Azalea Rhododendron 'Nancy Evans' Nancy Evans Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla' Nova Zembla Rhododendron Rhododendron 'P.J.M.' P.J.M. Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Peekaboo' Peekaboo Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Percy Wiseman' Percy Wiseman Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Pohjola's Daughter' Pohjola's Daughter Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Purple Gem' Purple Gem Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Ramapo' Ramapo Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Rosamundi' Rosamundi Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans' Roseum Elegans Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Sappho' Sappho Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Solidarity' Solidarity Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Stewartstonian' Stewartstonian Azalea Rhododendron 'Taurus' Taurus Rhododendron Rhododendron 'The Honourable Jean Marie de Montague' Jean Marie Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Trilby' Trilby Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Unique' Unique Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Vulcan' Vulcan Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Winsome' Winsome Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Yaku Prince' Yaku Prince Rhododendron Rhododendron 'Yaku Princess' Yaku Princess Rhododendron Rhododendron alabamense Alabama Azalea Rhododendron arboreum subsp. cinnamomeum Cinnamon Rhododendron Rhododendron augustinii Augustine Rhododendron Rhododendron auriculatum No common name (R. auriculatum) Rhododendron bibiani Bibiani Rhododendron Rhododendron bureavii Bureau Rhododendron Rhododendron campylocarpum subsp. coloxanthum Coloxanthum Rhododendron Rhododendron catawbiense Catawba Rhododendron Rhododendron cinnabarinum Cinnabar Rhododendron Rhododendron concinnum Concinnum Rhododendron Rhododendron daphnoides Daphnoides Rhododendron Rhododendron dauricum Dauricum Rhododendron Rhododendron davidsonianum Davidsonianum Rhododendron Rhododendron falconeri subsp. falconeri Falconer Rhododendron Rhododendron formosum var. formosum Formosum Rhododendron Rhododendron forrestii subsp. forrestii Forrest Rhododendron Rhododendron fortunei subsp. discolor Fortune Discolor, Discolor Rhododendron Rhododendron groenlandicum Labrador-tea, Labrador Tea Rhododendron haematodes subsp. haematodes Haematodes Rhododendron Rhododendron hanceanum Hanceanum Rhododendron Rhododendron hippophaeoides var. hippophaeoides Hippophaeoides Rhododendron Rhododendron hodgsonii Hodgson Rhododendron Rhododendron irroratum Irroratum Rhododendron Rhododendron johnstoneanum Rhododendron, johnstoneanum Rhododendron keiskei Keiskei Rhododendron, Keisuki Rhododendron Rhododendron kiusianum Kiusianum Azalea, Kyushu Azalea Rhododendron lacteum Lacteum Rhododendron Rhododendron luteiflorum Luteiflorum Rhododendron Rhododendron lutescens Lutescens Rhododendron Rhododendron luteum Pontic or Pontica Azalea Rhododendron macabeanum Macabeanum Rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum Pacific Rhododendron Rhododendron mucronulatum Rhododendron, mucronulatum Rhododendron myrtifolium Myrtifolium Rhododendron Rhododendron niveum Niveum Rhododendron Rhododendron occidentale Western Azalea Rhododendron orbiculare subsp. orbiculare Obiculare Rhododendron Rhododendron oreotrephes Oreotrephes Rhododendron Rhododendron pachytrichum Pachytrichum Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum Rhododendron, ponticum Rhododendron prinophyllum Roseshell Azalea, Pinkshell Azalea Rhododendron prunifolium Plumleaf Azalea Rhododendron quinquefolium Quinquefolium Azalea Rhododendron racemosum Racemosum Rhododendron Rhododendron roxieanum var. oreonasters No common name Rhododendron rubiginosum Rubiginosum Rhododendron Rhododendron schlippenbachii Royal Azalea Rhododendron serpyllifolium Wild Thyme, Azalea Rhododendron serpyllifolium var. albifolrum White Wild Thyme, Azalea Rhododendron sinofalconeri Sinofalconer Rhododendron Rhododendron sinogrande Sinogrande Rhododendron Rhododendron smirnowii Smirnow Rhododendron Rhododendron stenopetalum Rhododendron, stenopetalum Rhododendron thomsonii subsp. thomsonii Thomson Rhododendron Rhododendron wardii Ward Rhododendron Rhododendron wiltonii Wilton Rhododendron Rhododendron yakushimanum Yak Rhododendron Sequoia sempervirens Coast Redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum Giant Sequoia Vitis californica Vitis californica Vitis coignetiae Crimson Glory Vine
Sources & References
Data Maturity Structured Multiple sources. Expert review underway.