Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The Lodgepole pines susceptibility to Heterobasidion spp. was investigated in three parts of
this study. In the first part, discs from freshly cut stumps were collected and analyzed to see
if the fungi can spread and grow naturally in Lodgepole pine stands. In the second part, root
samples were collected from Lodgepole pines planted in former infected Norway spruce
stands to see if the fungi can spread through root contacts. For the third part, new stumps
was created and artificially infected with spores of both the S‐type (H. parviporum) and the
P‐type (H. annosum) of the fungi to find out if the Lodgepole pine is susceptible to them.
None of the stumps from recently thinned stumps were infected and it was later discovered
that these stands in fact were thinned one and two years ago which probably has had influence
on the result. Infected roots were found on four out of 15 trees that were expected to
be infected and totally 17 % of all sampled trees, with and without symptoms, were infected.
On all stumps that were artificially infected with the P‐type and all but one stump that were
artificially infected with the S‐type, infections were found 51 days after the time of infection.
These results indicates that the Lodgepole pine is susceptible to both types of the fungi and
that it can be infected through root contacts which means that Heterobasidion spp. may be a
threat to the Lodgepole pines. Because of this, new management methods such as stump
treatment during thinning, stump removal and a better habitat adaptation when re‐planting
stands with Lodgepole pine might be necessary.