Pinus Monticola Dougl Research Articles

Characterization of Pin m III cDNA in western white pine.

Maximum accumulation of Pin m III protein in western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) needles occurred during the winter months. To characterize Pin m III, an expression cDNA library from poly(A)+ mRNA of needles was immunoscreened and the full length cDNA was cloned. An open reading frame of 486 bases encodes a protein of 161 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 18 kD and a predicted isoelectric point of 5.5. The deduced amino acid sequence had some similarities (37%) with an intracellular pathogenesis-related (PR) protein from garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) and the major pollen allergen from white birch (Betula verrucosa J. F. Ehrh.), which are members of the ribonuclease-like PR-10 family. Phylogenetic analysis provided circumstantial evidence that Pin m III may be grouped with intracellular PRs from asparagus and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), while the allergens formed another subgroup. Northern analysis showed that the Pin m III gene was preferentially expressed during cold acclimation with the highest expression in the fall and winter months, preceding the peak of Pin m III protein accumulation. Tissue specificity expression analysis indicated that the gene was strongly expressed in roots and twigs. Higher amounts of the homologous protein (Pin l I) and its transcript accumulated in sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Dougl.) needles infected with blister rust compared with healthy needles.

SEX PHEROMONE OF CONOPHTHORUS PONDEROSAE (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) IN A COASTAL STAND OF WESTERN WHITE PINE (PINACEAE)

An isolated stand of western white pine, Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don, on Texada Island (49°40′N, 124°10′W), British Columbia, is extremely valuable as a seed-production area for progeny resistant to white pine blister rust, Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch. (Cronartiaceae). During the past 5 years, cone beetles, Conophthorus ponderosae Hopkins (= C. monticolae), have severely limited crops of western white pine seed from the stand. Standard management options for cone beetles in seed orchards are not possible on Texada Island. A control program in wild stands such as the one on Texada Island requires alternate tactics such as a semiochemical-based trapping program. Females of the related species, Conophthorus coniperda (Schwarz) and Conophthorus resinosae Hopkins, produce (+)-pityol, (2R,5S)-2-(1-hydroxyl-l-methylethyl)-5-methyl-tetrahydrofurana, sex pheromone that attracts males of both species (Birgersson et al. 1995; Pierce et al. 1995). The host compound a-pinene significantly increases attraction of male C. coniperda to pityol-baited traps in stands of eastern white pine, Pinus strobus L. (de Groot et al. 1998).

Evaluation of somatic embryogenesis for clonal propagation of western white pine

A multiyear program was undertaken to develop a somatic embryogenesis system for clonal propagation of western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.). Developing seeds were used to initiate embryogenic lines from families used in blister-rust (Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch.) resistance breeding programs in British Columbia. The most responsive seeds contained zygotic embryos ranging in development from late cleavage polyembryony to the early dominance stage. Overall, 14 of 15 open-pollinated families produced embryogenic lines. The best results (0.8-6.7% initiation) were obtained using modified Litvay medium with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 6-benzyladenine (BA) at 2.25 µM. Proliferation of embryogenic tissue was enhanced by culturing tissue as a thin layer on filter paper supports. Approximately 300 lines representing 18 open- and control-pollinated families were cryopreserved. The highest number of mature somatic embryos was obtained on maturation medium containing 120 µM abscisic acid, 180 ...

A Comparison of Early Field Results of White Pine Blister Rust Resistance in Sugar Pine and Western White Pine

Seedlings from 12 sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Dougl.) and 13 western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.) families were planted at Happy Camp, Calif., in 1996. Assessment in Summer 1999 indicated moderate levels of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola Fischer) infection. This paper focused on the species differences and showed that sugar pine had a higher incidence of stem infection (active and inactive cankers) and more stem infections per tree than western white pine. An unexpected result was the very high percentage of infections that were bark reactions (completely inactivated infections), despite the fact that only some of the families of both species were selected for this mechanism. Assessments in subsequent years will track the future performance of the two species and of the individual families.

Allometric crown relations in three northern Idaho conifer species

Allometric equations predicting individual branch and total crown leaf area, leaf mass, and branch wood mass were developed for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.), and western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) on the Priest River Experimental Forest in northern Idaho. Whole crowns were weighed fresh in the field by crown quarter. Two antithetic random branches were sampled from each crown quarter, weighed fresh in the field, and returned to the laboratory for detailed analysis. Nonlinear weighted regression with the general allometric equation was used to estimate all parameters. For the branches, branch diameter and length, foliated length, and position in the crown explain 82-97% of the variation. Specific leaf area (leaf area/mass) differs significantly among species and increases with distance from the tree top. For whole trees, sapwood area at breast height, crown ratio and length, and crown competition factor (CCF) explain 94-99% of the variation. The assumption of linearity and constant ratio between leaf area and sapwood area held rather generally. Differences between two alternative estimators (branch summation vs. crown weighing) of total crown biomass and leaf area were not statistically significant. For stands, stand totals were estimated from the whole-tree equations and stand-inventory data. Generally, these stand estimates were intermediate between coastal forests west of the Cascades and drier forests in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountain crest.

Effects of pocket gophers, bracken fern, and western coneflower on planted conifers in northern Idaho – an update and two more species

Grand Fir Mosaic forests innorthern Idaho are difficult to regenerate afternatural or human-caused disturbances. Sparseconifer regeneration appears to be associated withhigh populations of northern pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides) plus expansion by bracken fern(Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) and invasionof western coneflower (Rudbeckia occidentalisNutt.). This report updates an earlier study(Ferguson and Adams 1994) that quantified theeffects of four treatments on survival and growth ofplanted conifers: unweeded with gophers, weeded withgophers, unweeded without gophers, and weededwithout gophers. Weeding removed only bracken fernand western coneflower. Subalpine fir (Abieslasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.), grand fir (Abiesgrandis (Dougl.) Lindl.), and western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) had over 80% mortalityfrom pocket gophers and other causes. Lodgepolepine (Pinus contorta var. latifoliaEngelm.) had 49.2% mortality from pocket gophersand 6.8% mortality from other causes, but snowdamage is a problem for lodgepole pine. Engelmannspruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.)had 42.2% gopher-caused mortality and 8.4%mortality from other causes. Spruce suffered littletop damage from snowpacks and was stout enough towithstand senescing bracken fern fronds. Westernwhite pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.) had only24.1% mortality from pocket gophers after 4 years,and only 11.8% of the white pine died from causesother than gophers. Of the mortality caused bypocket gophers, 76.8% occurred the first summer andnext two winters after planting. The recommendedspecies for reforestation are Engelmann spruce andwhite pine.

A protein associated with frost hardiness of western white pine is up-regulated by infection in the white pine blister rust pathosystem

A 19-kDa protein, Pin m III, was recently shown to be associated with overwintering and frost hardiness of western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) seedlings. Here, we report that this protein is up-regulated by the fungus Cronartium ribicola Fisch, the causal agent of white pine blister rust in western white pine trees. Between 1991 and 1994, bark samples of mature western white pine trees (resistant with no stem cankers and susceptible with stem cankers) were collected in winter, spring, and fall. Proteins were extracted and analyzed by Western immunoblot utilizing specific rabbit polyclonal anti-Pin l I (a homologue of Pin m III) antibodies. During all collection dates, but particularly in the spring, susceptible trees had more Pin m III than resistant trees. In July 1995, 43 previously inoculated 7-year-old white pine seedlings were also analyzed. In all susceptible seedlings (cankered) tested, cankered tissue had high levels of Pin m III, and samples collected from the outside edge of the canker margin had low levels of Pin m III; this protein was also detected in some healthy bark of cankered trees. Since the level of Pin m III in healthy white pine trees is normally lowest in summer months, the high level Pin m III in summer samples of infected tissues is a consequence of the fungal infection.

Impacts of soil compaction and tree stump removal on soil properties and outplanted seedlings in northern Idaho, USA

Intensive timber harvesting and site preparation are becoming more common as demand for timber-based products increases. On some harvested sites in the western United Staes of America and Canada, stump removal is used to ameliorate root disease problems. Soil compaction and nutrient loss could become a problem on some sites after harvesting, site preparation, or stump removal. In a non-replicated, randomized block experiment, two levels of soil compaction (none and severe) and a stump extraction treatment were examined on an ash-cap soil in northern Idaho. These treatments were planted with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [Beissn.] Franco) and western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) seedlings. Soil compaction increased post-harvest bulk density 15–20% to a depth of 30 cm. Stump removal decreased surface soil bulk density, but it increased at the 30- to 45-cm depth to levels equal to the soil compaction treatment. One year after outplanting, seedling top weights were similar among treatments, but root volume was significantly reduced in the soil compaction treatment. Soil compaction and stump removal treatments also reduced the numbers and morphological types of ectomycorrhizae and non-ectomycorrhizal short roots on Douglas-fir. Western white pine seedlings had reduced numbers of non-ectomycorrhizal short roots in the same treatments. Three years after outplanting, stump removal resulted in smaller root collar diameters and less total N content for both seedling species. Severe site disturbance, with associated soil compaction and mixing, may decrease productivity of ash-cap sites by reducing pore space and root and ectomycorrhizal activity. Managers must weigh short-term benefits of intensive site disturbance with possible long-term loss of soil productivity. Key words: Bulk density, compaction, ectomycorrhizae, stumping, site preparation, Douglas-fir, western white pine

A protein associated with frost hardiness of western white pine is up-regulated by infection in the white pine blister rust pathosystem

A 19-kDa protein, Pin m III, was recently shown to be associated with overwintering and frost hardiness of western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) seedlings. Here, we report that this protein is up-regulated by the fungus Cronartium ribicola Fisch, the causal agent of white pine blister rust in western white pine trees. Between 1991 and 1994, bark samples of mature western white pine trees (resistant with no stem cankers and susceptible with stem cankers) were collected in winter, spring, and fall. Proteins were extracted and analyzed by Western immunoblot utilizing specific rabbit polyclonal anti-Pin l I (a homologue of Pin m III) antibodies. During all collection dates, but particularly in the spring, susceptible trees had more Pin m III than resistant trees. In July 1995, 43 previously inoculated 7-year-old white pine seedlings were also analyzed. In all susceptible seedlings (cankered) tested, cankered tissue had high levels of Pin m III, and samples collected from the outside edge of th...

Microculture of western white pine (Pinus monticola) by induction of shoots on bud explants from 1- to 7-year-old trees.

We developed a protocol for the production of shoots from bud explants from 1- to 7-year-old trees of western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.). The best explant was a 2-mm-thick cross-sectional slice of the early winter bud. Genotype of the donor tree was a significant factor affecting shoot production, but more than 80% of the genotypes tested produced shoots. Of the media tested, bud slices from 1- to 3-year-old trees grew best in Litvay's medium containing N(6)-benzyladenine in the range of 1 to 30 micro M, whereas bud slices from older trees grew best in Gupta and Durzan's DCR medium with zeatin riboside. Up to 400 shoots more than 3 mm in height were obtained from 100 bud-slice explants taken from 7-year-old western white pine trees.

Factors Controlling Throughfall Characteristics at a High Elevation Sierra Nevada Site, California

AbstractThe composition of throughfall (TF) is influenced by wet and dry deposition on foliar surfaces and by chemical and biological interactions between rain and the foliage. The relative importance of these processes was investigated for TF collected in the summer months of 1985, 1986, and 1987 under three subalpine species, chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens Hjelmqvist), western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.), and willow (Salix orestera Schneider), in the Emerald Lake Watershed, Sequoia National Park, California. The depth of rain and days since the last storm were used to predict net‐TF deposition in a multiple linear regression model. Dry deposition to needle surfaces had the greatest influence on western white pine TF composition. Net‐TF data for this species were used to estimate mean dry deposition rates for the summer. These data show that NH+4, NO−3, and SO2−4 dry deposition rates exceed median summer wet deposition rates by 1.5, 1.9, and 1.0 times, respectively. Willow foliage had the greatest influence on TF composition and western white pine the least. Estimated foliar release of cations and organic anions by willow during summer rain is a substantial fraction of annual wet deposition of those ions. Weak organic acid anions derived from foliar release are a significant component of net‐TF in all three species, particularly willow, where summer fluxes of organic acids were at least 51% of the total estimated annual wet deposition of organic anions.

Root induction in pine (Pinus) and larch (Larix) spp. using Agrobacterium rhizogenes

Root induction on in vitro adventitious Pinus monticola Dougl. shoots from mature embryos was improved after 8 weeks co-cultivation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes Conn. strain A4 or the pRi transconjugant strain R1000 as compared to controls, and to naphthaleneacetic acid and indoleacetic acid treatments. An improvement in the number and quality of roots induced was observed on co-cultivated shoots as well as co-cultivated Pinus banksiana Lamb and Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch de-rooted seedlings. Changes in substrate nutrient solution did not influence rooting as much as the presence of Agrobacterium in the rhizosphere. Rooting of cuttings from 3-year-old P. monticola trees was improved in two different seedlots with A. rhizogenes A4 strain.

An examination of regional, provenance, and family variation in cold hardiness of Pinusmonticola

Seedlings from 29 seed lots of western white pine (Pinusmonticola Dougl. ex D. Don) from the British Columbia coast and interior ranges were tested for frost hardiness. Detached needles were exposed to a series of freezing temperatures, and relative hardiness was calculated based on visual scoring of injury. Seasonal progress in hardening was tested in seedlings maintained at the University of British Columbia (coastal) nursery. In addition, the same seed lots grown at a coastal and an interior field plantation were tested once during the hardening process. There was a significant (p = 0.04) regional difference between the coast and interior sources. The coastal region showed approximately 20% more damage than the interior region. Whereas provenances within a region did not differ in cold hardiness, families within a provenance did vary in this respect. The results suggest that the role of phenotypic plasticity in cold hardiness of P. monticola is reduced relative to other traits. It is recommended that seed transfer be restricted to within coastal and interior regions and that collections be bulked within a region.

Isolation of inhibitor-free poly(A+) RNA from Pinusmonticola and Pinuslambertiana seedlings

Inhibition of invitro translation by material(s) that co-purifies with RNA obtained from 6- to 12-week-old western white pine (Pinusmonticola Dougl. ex Lamb.) and sugar pine (Pinuslambertiana Dougl.) seedlings was demonstrated. A method that consistently produces inhibitor-free poly(A+) RNA from small amounts of total RNA isolated from these seedlings is described.

Acid‐Base Chemistry of Dissolved Organic Matter in Aqueous Leaf Extracts: Application to Organic Acids in Throughfall

AbstractElemental composition data were obtained for bulk precipitation and throughfall samples and for aqueous extracts of the leaves 6of three woody plant species common in the subalpine Sierra Nevada range, California: chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens Hjelmqvist), western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.), and willow (Salix orestera Schneider). The acid‐base equilibria of the extracts were characterized by potentiometric titration and proton formation functions were computed. The latter then were modeled assuming four classes of quasiparticle acidic functional groups, yielding negative logarithms of conditional protonation constants in the range 4.8 to 5.0, 6.1 to 6.6, 7.4 to 7.7, and 9.1 to 9.4. The relative concentration of a given acidic functional group class varied markedly among the three woody species, but the conditional protonation constants were very similar. The model parameters, along with dissolved organic C concentration and pH values, were used to estimate net anion deficits in throughfall samples collected from the same sites as the leaf samples. On average, the calculated charge concentration of free organic anions in the western white pine extract matched the throughfall anion deficit, whereas the deficits in the chinquapin and willow throughfall samples were not accounted for by free anion concentrations. Metal complexation and in situ, species‐dependent leaf surface processes may account for these latter differences. In general, the anion deficit and, therefore, organic acids were an important component of rainfall and throughfall charge balance.

Genetic Gains in Growth and Simulated Yield of Pinus monticola

Abstract Between years 7 and 25, genetic variances for height and diameter have increased in 29 full-sib western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.) families planted on two sites. Family differences in height were statistically significant throughout most of the period, while differences in breast-high diameter were detected after year 13. Estimated heritabilities for height were relatively constant, averaging 0.11 and 0.33 for individuals and families, respectively; those for diameter have generally increased throughout the period and by year 25 had reached 0.14 for individuals and 0.43 for families. These heritabilities coupled with relatively large phenotypic variances suggest that programs of forward selection should provide genetic gains of about 7% in the height or 9% in the diameter of individual trees in year 25. Genetic correlations of height at various ages with stem volume in year 25 were high (>0.85), as were the correlations involving diameter and 25-yr volume after year 13. Correlated responses to selection suggested that year 7 would be the most efficient time to select, providing 85% of the maximum gain available in 25-yr volume. A stand simulation model was used to project the yields (volume per acre) expected from the progenies of selections made in year 7. Results of the simulations suggested that the amount of increase in yield depended on the density, rotation length, and manner by which genetic gains accrue beyond year 25. The results implied that relatively small gains in the attributes of 25-yr-old trees can result in either increased volumes per acre for a given rotation or decreases in the rotation to achieve a given volume. For. Sci. 37(1):326-342.

A SIMPLE STAINING TECHNIQUE FOR ASSESSING FEEDING DAMAGE BYLEPTOGLOSSUS OCCIDENTALISHEIDEMANN (HEMIPTERA: COREIDAE) ON CONES

AbstractPectinmethylesterase (PME) activity was found in the salivary glands of nymphs and adults of a leaf-footed bug,Leptoglossus occidentalisHeidemann. Puncture wounds in cone scales resulting from PME activity in the saliva of these bugs were seen by staining with a 0.05% aqueous solution of ruthenium red. This staining technique can be used to estimate feeding damage byL.occidentalison cones of western white pine (Pinus monticolaDougl.), sugar pine (P.lambertianaDougl.), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii[Mirb.] Franco).

Optimizing Any-Aged Management of Mixed-Species Stands: II. Effects of Decision Criteria

Abstract The effects of maximum present value and maximum volume objectives on the efficiencies of alternative silvicultural systems are determined by solving any-aged management problems for mixed-conifer stands in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Any-aged management problems are formulated with periodic planting and harvesting controls and without constraints on the stand age or size structure over time. Optimization is performed with the Stand Prognosis Model, a single-tree simulator that has been calibrated for many forest types in the western United States. With a maximum present value objective, 1987 stumpage prices, and no logging damage, steady-state, uneven-aged management using selection cuts is the target silvicultural system for a range of stand types. Optimal transition regimes for understocked stands include clearcutting and planting western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don), a high-value, fast-growing species. With a maximum merchantable volume objective, two types of management emerge as optimal: even-aged plantation management and an uneven-aged shelterwood system are both capable of producing the same high level of yield indefinitely. Both types of management rely on a series of thinnings to grow the most vigorous crop trees into the largest size classes. In addition, the shelterwood system ensures that adequate natural regeneration is established when the crop trees are harvested. Because the uneven-aged shelterwood system produces steady-state yields that are as high or higher than plantation management, these results call into question the widely held view that even-aged plantation management maximizes total merchantable volume production. For. Sci. 36(1):125-144.

Establishment of western white pine shoots invitro using needle fascicles

The foliage of 4-year-old western white pine (Pinusmonticola Dougl.) containerized seedlings was treated with 450 ppm benzylaminopurine weekly, for 8 weeks, to induce the development of fascicle buds. Fascicle buds were cultured invitro on five different media. Gresshoff and Doy 1 medium and Gresshoff and Doy 1 with an increased concentration of potassium nitrate (1500 mg L−1 KNO3 was added) yielded greater bud elongation and secondary needle growth than other media tested. An invitro dip in 2000 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid promoted the formation of white glassy callus, potential root primordia, and root growth in 33% of the explants. Only 10% of the explants developed elongated roots 120 days after initial culture.

HERITABILITY AND GAIN CALCULATIONS FOR SIX-YEAR HEIGHT OF COASTAL WESTERN WHITE PINE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Height growth for western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.) after five growing seasons (6 yr from seed) in the forest on Vancouver Island was assessed in a progeny test of 20 wind-pollinated families in two plantations: Northwest Bay (830 m) and Cassidy (20 m). Mean height differed at the 0.1% level of significance between plantations, with the better growth at Cassidy. Family mean heights differed at the 10, 1 and 5% levels of significance at Cassidy, Northwest Bay, and combined over plantations, respectively. Family-by-plantation interaction was nonsignificant. Pooled over plantations, the heritability estimates appropriate for mass and family selection were 0.36 ± 0.20 and 0.54 ± 0.28, respectively. The expected genetic gain estimates from multistage selection are used to provide preliminary guidelines for strategies which might be employed in the improvement of height growth of western white pine in coastal British Columbia.Key words: Western white pine, height, heritability, genetic gains