Availability of true mistletoe in urban trees, case of: Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco (Atena Editora)

Abstract

In Mexico, the Loranthaceae family is found in most of the natural ecosystems; there are 10 genera and about 150 species registered and it is considered the third agent of floral destruction in temperate climates and is present in 10% of the surface of the trees. The objective was to carry out a phytosanitary diagnosis of true canker in the trees of the Universidade Autônoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco (UAM-X), Mexico City, and to compare the proportions of infested trees among the areas through contingency analysis. The trees were infested by true mink, where the most affected species were Casuarina (Casuarina equisetifolia), Freixo (Fraxinus uhdei) and Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia). The main genus of mink determined was Cladocolea with 3.64% infestation, where the species Cladocolea loniceroides was the one with the highest incidence; the species with the highest infestation were Casuarina (Casuarina cunninghamiana), Fresno (Fraxinus uhdei), Jacaranda (J. mimosifolia) and Ahuejote (Salix bonplandiana), while trovão (Ligustrum lucidum), jacarandá (J. mimosifolia) and casuarina (Casuarina equisetifolia) were infested by Struthantus sp.; while the trovão (Ligustrum lucidum) was damaged by Phoradendron sp. It was concluded that the proportion of trees that presented viscum was not the same in zones A, B and C. Zone B had a higher incidence of infected trees.