Fusiform Rust Disease in East Texas Loblolly Pine: An Evaluation of Resistance and a Test of Two Hypotheses
A set of 21 loblolly pine families produced by crossing trees from east Texas were tested for resistance to fusiform rust disease. The parents of these families were surviving trees in stands that experienced extensive mortality in the 1960s due to southern pine beetle infestation. Seedlings were artificially inoculated in the greenhouse with Cronartium quercuum (Cq) from five different sources of inoculum, each consisting of basidiospores derived from single gall collections of aeciospores. Four of the collections originated from galls on loblolly pine (C. q. fusiforme or Cqf), whereas the remaining collection was obtained from a shortleaf pine gall (C. q. echinatae or Cqe). Two collections of Cqf and Cqe were taken from round-shaped galls, while the other two Cqf collections were taken from typical fusoid-shaped galls. The design allowed for the testing of two long standing hypotheses in fusiform rust biology, namely (1) that Texas loblolly pine and shortleaf pine share genes for resistance to Cqf and (2) that Cqe and Cqf collected from round galls share genes for gall shape.
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Author(s): Larry H. Lott, Glenn A. Snow, C. Dana Nelson
Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 2007