Chestnut Blight Flashcards
What are some tell tale signs of chestnut blight?
Orange discolouration on bark often associated with cracking (canker)
Small orange spots (fruiting body)
What was the importance of the chestnut tree?
“cradle to grave tree” with untold uses from food, to shelter for the people of eastern USA.
- used to compose ~50% of forests in eastern US ansd 25% of trees in Appalatia.
- Provided allot of food for wildlife and livestock
- large and fast growing, reproduction from seed or root sprout
What are the damage characteristics of chestnut blight?
- diffuse canker that kills in 1-2 years by girdling
- roots and root collar immune
What does hypovirulence refer to?
what are its management implications
- weakened version of disease.
- scientists have discovered a virus that infects the blight fungus and reduces its virulence.
- crossing normal blight with hypovirulent blight yields hypo. strain. (Best in orchards)
What is the greatest hope for combating chestnut blight at the landscape level?
Tree breeding with chinese chestnut for resistance. Chinese chestnut not as big as american.
What level of management does fungicide work for?
- small scale parks or boulevards
- fungicide applied annually.
Where did chestnut blight come from?
Where did it start?
What have the consequences been?
- Native to China
- Introduced to E N.A. in 1900’s
- by 1950, all chestnut in Eastern N.A. were decimated.
