Tree Physiology Vol. 39 Nr 1 January 2019 - Cover image

Introduction of a non-native pathogen may have signifi cant negative effects on a native host tree and the ecosystem in which it resides. In this issue, Pepori et al. (page 31- 44) compared the spatio-temporal phenotypic, transcriptional, and metabolic host responses to inoculation with the two Heterobasidion species in a large experiment with Pinus pinea seedlings. Pepori et al. show that H. irregulare does not seem to have competitive advantages over the native species H. annosum in terms of pathogenicity towards P. pinea trees. This may explain why the non-native species has not widely spread over the 73 years since its assumed year of introduction into central Italy. Photo: Nicola Luchi.