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Trees Diseases and Disorders in Urban Forests of Peninsular Malaysia

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Urban Forestry and Arboriculture in Malaysia

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Abstract

Urban forests play an important role in urban ecosystems. They provide a variety of functions, services and benefits that are essential for urban development to succeed. The health, structural integrity and aesthetics of trees in urban forests are critical factors in determining a city’s image and quality of life. Nevertheless, most trees in urban areas encounter various stresses that cause them to deteriorate and become more susceptible to insect and disease attack. This chapter discusses biotic and abiotic problems affecting the health of trees in urban forests, with a focus on Selangor, Putrajaya, and Kuala Lumpur. Plant health problems are diagnosed through field inspections and laboratory analysis of sampled material for identification of the causative organisms. Most plant health problems observed during inspections are caused by environmental factors such as soil compaction, water availability, lightning strikes, nutrient deficiency, limited planting space and mechanical injury. While some fungal infections such as leaf spot, leaf rust, powdery mildew, and sooty mould, are common, they have a negligible effect on tree health. Additionally, it is discovered that Chrysoporthe stem canker, Fusarium wilt, root rot and basal stem rot, all have significant impacts, and these diseases are destructive, difficult to control and rapidly spread to initiate new infection. Appropriate disease management measures are essential to bring the disease under control.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Malaysia

    Mohd Farid Ahmad & Muhammad Syahmi Hishamuddin

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  1. Mohd Farid Ahmad
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  2. Muhammad Syahmi Hishamuddin
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Correspondence to Mohd Farid Ahmad .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Design & Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia

    Sreetheran Maruthaveeran

  2. Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Wendy Y. Chen

  3. School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Justin Morgenroth

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Ahmad, M.F., Hishamuddin, M.S. (2022). Trees Diseases and Disorders in Urban Forests of Peninsular Malaysia. In: Maruthaveeran, S., Chen, W.Y., Morgenroth, J. (eds) Urban Forestry and Arboriculture in Malaysia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5418-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5418-4_5

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-19-5418-4

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