Heart Rot Research Articles

Heart Rot of Jack Pine in Ontario. IV. Heartwood-inhabiting Fungi, Their Entry and Interactions within Living Trees

The five most common stem-inhabiting fungi of jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) in Ontario were inoculated into the stems of living trees that were roughly 40 years old. Their natural occurrence in branch stubs and at various heights in the stems of these trees was also studied. From these results, and from those that were obtained from older trees in earlier studies, conclusions which concern the occurrence, importance, and apparent avenues of entry of these fungi are presented. Some of the trees were inoculated with one of the Ascomycetes, which was followed 1 year later by one of the Basidiomycetes. The interactions of the fungi in vivo did not always correspond with those observed in vitro; however, they do explain many of the observed relationships between the occurrence of these fungi in living jack pine and other factors. Fomespini (Brot. ex Fr.) Karst., the Basidiomycete that is responsible for most of the trunk rot of jack pine in Ontario, was not affected in living tree stems by the presence of the Ascomycetes that frequently colonize this tissue. On the other hand, Peniophorapseudo-pini Weres. and Gibson, the Basidiomycete that is responsible for about one quarter of the red trunk stain in this species, was almost completely inhibited in living trees by the presence of Ascocorynesarcoides (Jacq. ex Gray) Groves and Wilson, which would explain many of the unusual patterns of occurrence of P. pseudo-pini in living jack pine.

Woodpecker Nesting Habitat in Cut and Uncut Woodlands in Virginia

In forest areas common flickers (Colaptes auratus) nested only in dead snags in 1to 12year-old clearcuts. Pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) nested in mature, dense stands with high basal area, and downy woodpeckers (Dendrocopos pubescens) nested in sparsely stocked stands with lower basal area. The hairy woodpecker (D. villosus) nested in stands intermediate to and overlapping the habitats selected by the pileated and downy woodpeckers. All nest cavities of the four species of woodpeckers were excavated in decayed wood of trees infected by fungal heart rots. Timber management may be detrimental to woodpeckers if all decayed trees are removed. Uncut filter strips along streams and roads appear to be of value as woodpecker nesting habitat. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 39(1):144-150 Optimum management of a forest for multiple benefits to humans requires intelligent coordination of practices. Little information exists for many nongame species of wildlife which will permit the forest manager to coordinate wildlife and timber management practices. This investigation was conducted to determine if the common flicker and the downy, hairy, and pileated woodpeckers on the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia had specific requirements for nest trees and the surrounding habitat or if they utilized a wide range of conditions.

Heart rot of black spruce in Ontario. II. The mycoflora in defective and normal wood of living trees

The fungi most frequently associated with heart rot in black spruce stems were the Basidiomycetes Fomes pini (Fr.) Karst., Scytinostroma galactina (Fr.) Donk, Polyporus tomentosus Fr., Peniophora septentrionalis Laurila, and Coniophora puteana (Schum. ex Fr.) Karst. Factors related to the occurrence of these and other Basidiomycetes are assessed. An Ascomycete, Ascocoryne sarcoides (Jacq. ex Gray) Groves and Wilson, was frequently isolated from both clear and defective wood in living black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) stems older than 75 years of age. In laboratory tests this fungus invaded but did not appreciably alter black spruce heartwood, and provided some protection against subsequent decay by F. pini. Evidence is presented that the widespread occurrence of A. sarcoides in mature black spruce stems partly explains the relatively low incidence of defect in this species. The potential use of A. sarcoides as an agent for the biological control of decay in black spruce and other conifers is discussed.

Heart Rot of Black Spruce in Ontario. I. Stem Rot, Hidden Rot, and Management Considerations

A total of 6553 black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) trees of commercial size were sampled throughout the range of this species in Ontario. Four distinct types of rot occurred in the merchantable boles, accounting for 3% of the volume. In black spruce, rot develops much earlier and more extensively below stump height (particularly in roots) than it does above stump height. Trees growing on drier, generally upland sites were faster growing and shorter lived than those sampled on wetter, generally lowland sites. Site, based on moisture regime, and tree age were both significantly related to the incidence of heart rot within the merchantable bole. Trees on drier sites, and the faster growing trees on all sites, were more susceptible to stem rot. The growing use of measures to accelerate the growth rate of black spruce, such as fertilization or site improvement by drainage, may raise productivity but it is also liable to increase the incidence of root and stem rot markedly.

BUCHBESPRECHUNGEN

Books reviwed in this article:Bakshi, B. K.; Singh, S.: Heart Rots in Trees (Pourritures du coeur des arbres)Barnett, H. L.; Hunter, B.: Illustrated Genera of Imperfect Fungi Phytotoxins in Plant Diseases Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Pugnochiuso, Italy, June 1970. Edited by R. K. S. Wood, A. Ballio and A. Graniti Environmental Quality and Safety. Band 1: Global Aspects of Chemistry, Toxicology and Technology as Applied to the Environment. Hrsg. von F. Coulston und F. Korte

Beziehungen zwischen dem Ernährungszustand der Fichte (Picea abies Karst.), ihrem Kernfäulebefall und der Pilzhemmwirkung ihres Basts1

Abstract Relationships between nutrition and heart rot attack of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and the fungistatic effect of its inner bark. The fresh inner bark of Norway spruce stems and roots inhibits mycelium growth of Fomes annosus on malt agar. Nearly all fungistatic substances of the inner bark can be extracted with chloroform and acetone. The acetone‐soluble fraction, which amounts to 13–27% of bark dry matter, was analysed. Up to now 12 phenolic substances have been identified, 5 of them have proved to inhibit Fomes annosus in vitro.Open‐air‐experiments showed, that desiccation of the root‐zone, manganese deficiency and nitrogen hypertrophy decrease the inhibitory effect of the inner bark as well as its content of fungistatic substances.The degree of heart rot attack in older spruce stands was found to be negatively correlated with the N‐, Fe‐ and Mn‐concentrations in needles.

Effects of Slash Burning in Overmature Stands of the Douglas-Fir Region

Following clearcutting of old-growth coniferous forests in western Washington and Oregon, pairs of burned and unburned plots were established to determine the effects of normal fall slash burning. Fires consumed nearly all fine fuel, left nearly all logs, and severely burned less than 6 percent of the soil surface. Five years after burning, the estimated rating of fire spread on the burned plots was 27 percent of that on the unburned, and estimated resistance to control was 67 percent. Difference in rate of spread ended at 16 years; difference in resistance to control ended at 12 years. Burning changed species composition of brush and herbage, reduced brush cover for a few years except where Ceanothus sp. invaded, but did not affect total herbaceous cover. Burning did not affect ultimate quantity of natural stocking with commercial conifers that became estab- lished after logging. Forest Sci. 16:258-270. THE ESTABLISHED management system of clearcutting the tall, dense, overmature forests of the Douglas-fir region of western Oregon and Washington usually leaves great quantities of debris after all mer- chantable wood is removed. Limbs up to l0 inches through, masses of small limbs and needles, thick slabs of bark, short chunks of broken trunks, long logs riddled by heart rot, shattered remains of large snags, and moss-coated windfalls of the past 50 years cover most of the ground

Fungal deterioration of second-growth Douglas-fir logs in coastal British Columbia

Fungal deterioration of second-growth Douglas-fir logs, felled each month from August 1961 to May 1962, was studied 2, 4, and 6 years after felling. Decay increased from 10% of log volumes after 2 years to 47% after 6 years. The rate of decay, particularly for the brown cubical type, was greater for autumn- and winter-felled logs than for those felled in the spring and late summer, and closely paralleled the seasonal pattern of ambrosia beetle attack.Decay rates increased with decreasing log size, increasing percentage of sapwood, and increasing height of log above ground. For the same diameter of log, base logs decayed less rapidly than second logs, possibly because of their lower proportion of sapwood in relation to heartwood.Decay expressed as a percentage of total log volume (Y) may be estimated (R2 = 0.71) with the following equation: Y = 13.2 + 10.7X1 − 3.2X2, where X1 = years elapsed and X2 = d.i.b. (diameter inside bark) top of log.Of 30 wood-decay fungi isolated, Naematoloma sp. (N. capnoides or N. fasciculare), which causes a white rot, was associated with the most decay. Fomes pinicola was mainly responsible for brown cubical sap rot, while Poria monticola and P. carbonica caused a brown cubical heart rot at the ends of logs.The significance of variations in deterioration rate and fungal associates is discussed in relation to log durability and salvability.

Host Range of the Causal Fungus of Heart Rot of Pineapple

Host Range of the Causal Fungus of Heart Rot of Pineapple

Phellinus pomaceus . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Phellinus pomaceus . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Largely confined to trees belonging to the Rosaceae , chiefly on Prunus and rarely on Malus, Pyrus, Syringa . DISEASE: Heart rot of plum. Of a general delignifying type, with the wood becoming white and crumbling, bounded by a dark purplish-brown zone of incipient decay. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Asia (China, Japan, U.S.S.R.); Europe (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Spain); North America (Canada, U.S.A.), Central America (Mexico). TRANSMISSION: By air-borne spores which may be discharged during the winter months from November onwards (22: 2). Spores may remain viable for 24 weeks and mycelium in wood blocks up to 31 yr. (Fisher, 1935).

Inonotus hispidus . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Inonotus hispidus . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Principally associated with Fraxinus and Malus , but also recorded on Acer, Aesculus, Alnus, Betula, Carya , Crataegus, Euonymus, Fagus, Ficus, Juglans, Liquidambar, Morus, Pistacia, Pyrus, Platanus, Populus, Prunus, Quercus, Robinia, Salix, Schinus, Sophora, Ulmus, Vitis and Zizyphus . DISEASE: Heart rot of ash. The rot is of the general delignifying type, the wood becoming soft and spongy throughout, the decayed wood turning straw to pale yellow brown. In addition to attacking heart wood the pathogen may penetrate living tissues (Nutman, 1929). Young trees may be severely damaged by cankers which distort the stems. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Africa (Morocco), Asia (China, Japan, India, Syria, U.S.S.R., West Pakistan), Europe (Belgium, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden); North America (Canada, U.S.A.); South America (? Brazil). TRANSMISSION: By air-borne spores. Stubs of dead branches, frost cracks and wounds, particularly those found in old hedgerow trees, all serve as infection courts.

Phellinus igniarius . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Phellinus igniarius . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Common on the trunks of Salix and Populus , also recorded on Acer, Arbutus, Arctostaphylos, Betula, Carpinus , Castanopsis, Cornus, Erythropheum, Fagus, Fraxinus, Juglans, Ostrya, Pericopsis, Prunus, Pyrus, Quercus , Rhamnus and Ulmus . DISEASE: White heart rot. Causing a destructive decay of the general delignifying type. The decayed area becomes soft and white, bounded by conspicuous dark zones or black lines with an irregularly concentric arrangement. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Africa (Eritrea, Madagascar, Zambia); Asia (Japan, U.S.S.R.); Europe (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Rumania, Sweden); North America (Canada, U.S.A.); Central America (Nicaragua, Venezuela). TRANSMISSION: By airborne spores, which are continuously produced from early spring until late autumn when the temperature drops below 5°C (Riley, 1952). Spores remain viable for several months under field conditions (Iverson, 1968). Infection occurs mainly through branch wounds.

Microorganisms associated with heart rot in young grand fir

Isolations from grand fir trees indicate a succession of organisms associated with decay in which bacteria invade the exposed heartwood first, imperfect fungi next, then basidiomycetes.

Respiratory activity of fungal associations in zones of heart rot and stain in sugar maple

Some of the progressive changes in decay in maple trees were studied by comparing total activity of the decay community (as measured by carbon dioxide output of excised samples), water content, pH, and predominant microorganisms (as shown by isolation on malt agar) in zones selected across the pocket of decay.Four trees from which Fomes igniarius were isolated gave consistent results with alkaline pH, high moisture content, and a predominance of imperfect fungi in the zones of incipient decay. Surprisingly, these zones showed the highest rates of carbon dioxide output, though they were only slightly higher than those of the transition zones. The center, severely decayed, parts of the trees were slightly acid, appreciably drier, and contained F. igniarius in abundance. They showed only about half the rate of carbon dioxide production of the outer zones. A section of rot caused by Polyporus glomeratus corresponded in most respects to those with F. igniarius.In samples of two regions from which no basidiomycete decay fungus was isolated, the pattern was completely different. In these the pH was consistently alkaline all across the pocket, exceeding pH 9 in one central area, and was highest in the central zone. The moisture content of these two trees was very high, being highest in the central zones, and the carbon dioxide production was much higher than that of the F. igniarius decays.

Pleospora bjorlingii . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Pleospora bjorlingii [Pleospora betae] . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: On Beta spp. DISEASE: Black leg of sugar beet and mangold. Also root rot and leaf rot or heart rot (45, 1243), storage decay (41: 188) and clamp rots (45, 2655). GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Africa (north & south); Asia, Australasia, Europe, N. America. (CMI Map 427, Ed. 1, 1967). TRANSMISSION: On seeds and in decayed host material or soil.

Definite Record of Fomitopsis annosa in Australia

FOR many years Fomitopsis annosa (Fr.) Karst ( = Fomes annosus) has been closely investigated in other countries because it is a facultative parasite of plantation grown softwood timbers which kills trees and causes heavy losses from heart rot. In Scandinavia it has been reported to cause losses of forest yield which vary from 30 per cent to 90 per cent, and in south-east Europe it has been described as one of the most devastating diseases in primeval forests of conifers1. It appears to be much less important as a parasite in Great Britain and the United States, although it is still an important cause of heart rot, especially in plantations.

Phytophthora cinnamomi . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Phytophthora cinnamomi . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: On Ananas, Cinchona, Cinnamomum, Castanea, Erica, Persea, Pinus, Rhododendron , and over 100 othor host species including beech, oak, walnut, conifers, avocado, pineapple, cinnamon, Erica , rhododendron, Lawson cypress, English walnut, Irish yew, Douglas fir (Thorn & Zentmyer, 1954, Rangaswami, 1962 and Herb. IMI). DISEASES: Causes 'ink' disease of chestnut in conjunction with P. cambivora and also root rot of many other trees, beech, oak, walnut and conifers, both in the nursery and forest, avocado root rot, pineapple root and heart rot, stripe canker of cinnamon, Erica wilt, root rot of rhododendron and many other ornamentals. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: World-wide. (CMI Map 302, ed. 2, 1963.) TRANSMISSION: Soil-borne. Persisting up to 10 yr. in naturally infested soil planted with macadamia and avocado seedlings, and remaining viable in dead avocado roots stored in soil for 6 yr. at 20% moisture at 20°C. (Zentmyer & Mircetich, 1963). Soil maybe penetrated to a depth of 2-4 feet (34: 4). Movement of nursery plants with infested soil adhering to their roots may also spread the pathogen (3: 245). Soils with poor drainage and a high moisture level or variable water table favour the pathogen (45, 3027; 42: 162; 34: 4) and zoospores may be disseminated by movement of soil water (41: 490; 43, 2753). Phytophthora cinnamomi may also be seed-borne in seed derived from wind-fallen fruit which has become infected from contact with infested soil (Durbin et al. , 1957).

HEART ROT OF JACK PINE IN ONTARIO: I. THE OCCURRENCE OF BASIDIOMYCETES AND MICROFUNGI IN DEFECTIVE AND NORMAL HEARTWOOD OF LIVING JACK PINE

A survey was made of the fungi inhabiting the heartwood of living jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in Ontario, particularly in stained and decayed wood. Two Basidiomycetes encountered frequently were Fomes pini (Fr.) Karst., associated with red stain and white pocket rot, and Peniophora pseudo-pini Weres. & Gibson, isolated almost exclusively from stained wood. F. pini was the only fungus consistently associated with white pocket rot, the principal type of heart rot in jack pine. The three most abundant microfungi, a member of the Coryne sarcoides complex, Tympanis hypopodia Nyl., and Retinocyclus abietis (Crouan) Groves & Wells, were encountered frequently in stained wood, but less frequently in decayed and normal wood.Many aspects of the occurrence of these five fungi in jack pine were investigated, including their distribution in the stems and branch stubs of individual trees and their association with normal, stained, and decayed wood therein; and the relation between their occurrence and tree growth rate, various heartwood properties, and different stand conditions. The apparent means by which the fungi enter jack pine, and the possible existence of a succession of fungi in the heartwood of living trees, are discussed.

Effect of Incense—Cedar Heartwood Extract on Growth of Polyporus Amarus

Heart rot fungi vary greatly in their ability to attack different tree species. Fomes pini (Thore) Lloyd and Polyporus schweinitzii Fr. have a broad host spectrum. Echinodontium tinctorium Ell. & Ev. has a more limited host range, and P. amarus Hedgc. is confined to a single host, incense-cedar (Libocedrus decurrens Torr.). This host specificity suggests (1) that the heartwood of incense-cedar meets the nutritional requirements of the fungus, and (2) that fungitoxic substances in the heartwood either are not effective against P. amarus or else are not present in sufficient quantity to inhibit it. In studies of such selective relations, in vitro growth tests of the fungus in host extracts are often used to detect the presence of growth-promoting substances or growthinhibiting substances or both. One approach to in vitro tests is to add the extract to nutrient media. The growth-promoting qualities of wood and wood extracts added to various media are well documented (La Fuse, 1937; Robbins and Hervey, 1955, 1959, 1960; Meyers and Reynolds, 1959; and others). Wall (1962) found that specific concentrations of cold water extracts of dead aspen branches added to agar stimulated spore germination of Fomes igniarius (L. ex Fr.) Kickx. The presence of fungitoxic sub? stances in heartwood has also been demonstrated by many workers. Rennerfelt and Nacht (1955) made a survey of the substances found in the heartwood of conifers and their toxicity to fungi. Anderson et al. (1963) made bioassays of the fungus-inhibiting extractive components of incense-cedar heartwood.

Gibberella fujikuroi var. subglutinans . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Gibberella fujikuroi var. subglutinans . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: On several hosts of economic importance in the Gramineae ; also on a wide range of hosts represented by the following families: Amaryllidaceae, Anacardiaceae, Bromeliaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cruciferae, Iridaceae, Leguminosae, Liliaceae, Malvaceae, Marantaceae, Musaceae, Palmae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Sterculiaceae (14: 708; 31: 515; 36: 501; 40: 89 and Herb. IMI). DISEASES: Causes a seedling blight, and root, stalk and kernel rot of maize; also on heads and stalks of sorghum associated with a foot and stem rot, and causing a stem rot and top rot of sugar-cane ('pokkah boeng'). Other records include a wilt of Crotalaria , a heart rot of leaves of banana and Manila hemp, and fruit rot of banana, cacao and pineapple. There appear to be no references to pathogenicity to rice. Also entomogenous on cereal stem borer larvae and other insects (27: 71; 33: 382; 38: 141, 740). GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Africa (Central African Republic, Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Reunion, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Tanganyika, Uganda); Asia (Formosa (Taiwan), Hong Kong, India, Java, Indo-China, Philippines, Syria); Australasia (Hawaii, New South Wales, New Zealand, Victoria); Europe (Czechoslovakia, Germany,? Italy, Poland, Romania); Central America & West Indies (French Antilles, Honduras, Trinidad); North America (Canada, United States); South America (Argentina, Peru). (CMI Map 191). TRANSMISSION: Both seed and soil-borne. Air-borne ascospores produced from perithecia on over-wintered plant debris or on dead stalks of sugar-cane at the beginning of the rainy season are also important sources of infection (30: 344). The pathogen may also be disseminated on pupae and adults of cereal stem borers and their parasites in sugar-cane (33: 382).