Abstract
Seedlings from four families of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were grown in capped open-top chambers and exposed to three different weekly moisture regimes for 13 weeks. Moisture regimes varied in intensity and frequency of simulated rainfall (irrigation) events; however, the total amounts were comparable. These simulated treatments were chosen to simulate expected changes in rainfall variability associated with climate change. Seedlings were inoculated with two root-infecting ophiostomatoid fungi associated with Southern Pine Decline. We found susceptibility of loblolly pine was not affected by water stress; however, one family that was most sensitive to inoculation was also most sensitive to changes in moisture availability. Many studies have examined the effects of drought (well-watered vs. dry conditions) on pine physiology and host-pathogen interactions but little is known about variability in moisture supply. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of variability in water availability, pathogen inoculation and their interaction on physiology of loblolly pine seedlings.
Highlights
Southern Pine Decline (SPD) is the term attributed to the premature death of Pinus spp. in the Southern United States due to a series of biotic and abiotic factors [1,2,3]
Studies have shown that when loblolly pine (P. taeda) is inoculated with L. terebrantis, the fungus can result in the development of lesions in the phloem and resin-soaking in the xylem [5,6,7]
Grosmannia huntii, a non-indigenous species, is a related fungal pathogen and has been reported to be more virulent in young pine seedlings when compared to L. terebrantis [7]
Summary
Southern Pine Decline (SPD) is the term attributed to the premature death of Pinus spp. in the Southern United States due to a series of biotic and abiotic factors [1,2,3]. These factors include associated root pathogenic fungi (e.g., Leptographium terebrantis Barras and Perry and Grosmannia huntii (Rob-Jeffry.) Zipfel, de Beer and Wingfield, and their root-feeding beetle vectors Grosmannia huntii, a non-indigenous species, is a related fungal pathogen and has been reported to be more virulent in young pine seedlings when compared to L. terebrantis [7].
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