Brittle Decay

Kretzschmaria deusta

45 host plants

Last updated

Data Maturity Baseline

This profile contains verified disease data from extension databases. Regional field notes and expert review are in progress.

Brittle decay causes wood to become brittle and weak in infected trees. You notice branches breaking easily despite healthy appearance. The fungal disease compromises wood structural integrity over time. Prune out affected branches and remove trees with significant decay to prevent failure during wind or snow events.

Help prevent wood decay by using cultural practices that promote tree growth and vigor while minimizing injuries that expose wood. Irrigation water, especially from sprinklers, should not wet the trunks.

Quick Reference

Causal Agent
Kretzschmaria deusta
Host Plants
45
Spread
Mycelial root-to-root contact; airborne spore dispersal.
Favorable Conditions
Root and wood colonization via mycelium and spore contact. Activity highest i...

Management

Vulnerability Window

Root colonization year-round but most active Oct–May. Disease progression slow (5–15 years). Internal decay long precedes visible symptoms. Visible decline during stress periods. BBCH 10–89.

What Triggers Infection

Root and wood colonization via mycelium and spore contact. Activity highest in cool, moist conditions (50–65°F). Stress and declining tree vigor accelerate symptom expression.

Cultural Controls

  • Help prevent wood decay by using cultural practices that promote tree growth and vigor while minimizing injuries that expose wood.
  • Irrigation water, especially from sprinklers, should not wet the trunks.
  • Mowing equipment should not injure the roots, crown, or lower trunk.
  • Make pruning cuts adjacent to, but not into, the supporting branch, and prune when branches are small to enhance callus formation and wound healing.
  • Infected branches or trees should be destroyed, preferable on site so it is not spread to additional areas.
  • Reference Guglielmo, F., Michelotti, S., Nicolotti, G. and Gonthier, P. 2012.

Host Plants (45)

Acer buergerianum Trident Maple, Three-toothed Maple Acer campestre Hedge Maple, Field Maple, Common Maple Acer capillipes Red Stripebark Maple, Red Snakebark Maple, Hakkoda Maple Acer carpinifolium Hornbeam Maple Acer circinatum Vine, Maple Acer coriaceifolium Leatherleaf Maple Acer crataegifolium Hawthorn, Maple Acer davidii David Maple, Père David's Maple Acer freemanii Freeman Maple, Hybrid Red Maple Acer ginnala Acer ginnala Acer glabrum Rocky Mountain Maple, Rock Maple, Douglas Maple, Dwarf Maple Acer glabrum var. douglasii Douglas Maple, Dwarf Maple, Rocky Mountain Maple Acer grandidentatum Bigtooth Maple, Western Mountain Sugar Maple, Rocky Mountain Sugar Maple Acer griseum Paperbark Maple Acer henryi Henry's Maple Acer japonicum Fullmoon Maple Acer macrophyllum Bigleaf Maple Acer maximowiczianum Nikko Maple Acer miyabei Miyabe Maple Acer monspessulanum Montpellier Maple Acer negundo Boxelder Manitoba Maple, Ash-leaved Maple Acer nipponicum Nippon Maple Acer oblongum Evergreen Maple, Smooth Leaf Maple Acer oliverianum Oliver Maple Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum Bosnian Maple Acer palmatum Japanese Maple Acer palmatum var. dissectum Dissected Japanese Maple Acer pensylvanicum Striped Maple, Moosewood Maple Acer pentaphyllum Acer pentaphyllum (no common name) Acer pictum Painted Maple Acer platanoides Norway Maple Acer pseudoplatanus Planetree Maple, Sycamore, Maple Acer rubrum Red Maple Acer rufinerve Redvein Maple, Honshu Maple Acer saccharinum Silver Maple Acer saccharum Sugar Maple Acer sempervirens Cretan Maple Acer shirasawanum Shirasawa Maple Acer spicatum Mountain Maple, Moose Maple Acer tataricum Tatarian Maple, Tartarian Maple Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala Amur Maple Acer tegmentosum Manchurian Stripebark Maple, Manchustriped Maple Acer triflorum Three Flowered Maple Acer truncatum Purpleblow Maple, Shantung Maple Acer velutinum Velvet Maple