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The abundance of leaf rust (Melampsora sp.) was assessed on four willow clones in four experimental Estonian willow short-rotation forest plantations. Three plantations were established on poor mineral soil and one was constructed for wastewater purification. Clones 78183 and 81090 were most severely damaged in all four plantations, whereas clones 78021 and 78195 were fairly resistant to rust. In addition to clone type, the number of uredinia on leaves depended on plantation, sampling date, and fertilization. Infection increased significantly during the growing season, and the leaves collected from fertilized plants had more and larger rust pustules than those from unfertilized plants. Uredinia were smaller on older shoots and larger on younger shoots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]