Twigs 5 years old and younger may be affected by Phomopsis . Many of the same, Cupressus spp. Many of the same plants as attacked by P . juniperovora. Kabatina does not penetrate healthy tissue but enters through wounds caused either by insect or other injuries. Spores, frequently released in the fall, are spread by water.
Affected tips turn yellow and eventually brown instead of green.
As with Phomopsis , greyish lesions develop at the base of blighted twigs. In order to determine which fungus is causing the twig die back, samples must be cultured and spores examined. A relatively easy field diagnostic tool is to carefully shave off the outer bark. If the tissues show an even gradient of brown to green tissue, then desiccation is probably the cause of the dieback. A very distinct border or margin between dead and healthy tissues indicates a die back caused by a canker.