Impacts of inoculation withHerpotrichia pinetorum, Gremmenia infestansandGremmeniella abietinaonPinus nigrasubsp.pallasianaandCedrus libaniseedlings in the field

Summary Herpotrichia pinetorum,Gremmenia infestansandGremmeniella abietinawere inoculated onto 2‐year‐old Anatolian black pine (Pinus nigrasubsp.pallasiana) and Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani) seedlings planted in a high mountain forest (1800 m a.s.l) in south‐western Turkey, to determine the effects of these fungi during winter. In June, 8 months after inoculation, 39.9% of experimental plants were dead and 20.4% of the surviving plants failed to flush.Gremmeniella abietinaandH. pinetorumcaused the most fatalities. Prevention of new shoot formation on surviving plants, however, was mainly an effect ofG. abietinainfections, although many surviving plants inoculated withG. infestansorH. pinetorumalso failed to flush. All three pathogens had the potential to severely damage young plants ofP. nigrasubsp.pallasianaandC. libanigrowing at high elevations near to forests with heavy inoculum loads. The implications of this finding forP. nigraafforestations at high altitudes in Turkey are discussed. This study is also the first to report thatG. infestanscan infect and cause disease on youngC. libaniplants.