Dothistroma pini Hulbary (teleomorph Mycosphaerella pini) is a filamentous fungus which causes needle blight in conifers, particularly in pines. Dothistromin is a fungal toxin which is produced in large quantities by D. pini and appears to be directly implicated in the development of disease symptoms in vitro.
This pathogen is a serious forest disease in many Central European forests as well as in other countries world-wide, including New Zealand. An international collection of D. pini isolates was accumulated with isolates from the Bavarian Alps, Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, France, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Zealand, Oregon and Slovakia. A total of 28 viable strains were obtained, from these 12 'core' strains (ALP3, BRZl, CAN3, FRA1, GUA1, MIN11, NEB1, NEB6, NEBS, NZE1, ORE12, SLV1) were chosen as being representative of the entire collection.