Diversity and ecology of <em>Phytophthora</em> species on the island of Ireland

Abstract

The island of Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland) has a long history with the plant pathogenic oomycete genus Phytophthora. Since the introduction of the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans in the mid-19th century, Phytophthora species have caused major changes to plant health, affecting agriculture, forestry and the wider environment on the island of Ireland. In recent years scientific expertise in plant pathology and mycology on the island of Ireland has been drastically diminishing, while invasions of plant pathogens have been on the rise, in line with increasing globalisation and international trade in plants and plant-based commodities. In order to draw attention to the increasing threat posed by Phytophthora to the plant health of this island, the records of Phytophthora species detected and the ecologies of these species have been reviewed. Using published and unpublished records, it was found that 27 species and two provisionally named taxa of Phytophthora have been recorded on the island of Ireland. There was evidence that the movement of plants for planting within the horticultural trade was responsible for spreading some invasive Phytophthora species.