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Mortality, early growth, and blight occurrence in hybrid, Chinese, and American chestnut seedlings in West Virginia

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Two plantings of second (BC3F2) and third (BC3F3) backcross generations of hybrid American chestnuts established in east-central West Virginia were assessed after 4 years to determine family effects on growth and survival. Pure American and pure Chinese chestnut seedlings were also planted as controls for height growth, form, blight occurrence, and blight resistance. Overall mortality after four growing seasons totaled 12 percent and 41 percent on the two sites. In 2014, the mean height of live stems differed by site and by seedling type. Pure American and BC3F3 hybrids were the tallest on both sites. Changes in height from time of planting to 2014 were similar or the same for American seedlings and BC3F3 hybrids on both sites. A similar trend among seedling types occurred for total height; American seedlings and BC3F3 hybrids performed similarly and showed the greatest mean total height on each site compared to the other seedling types. Two BC3F3 families had greater than 25 percent of their stems considered poor form on the Cheat site; 45 percent of the stems in one BC3F3 family were considered poor form on the Gauley site in 2015. Considering seedling types only, the greatest percentage of stems with a canker rating of 4 (blight-killed stems) was found for the BC3F3 hybrids on the Gauley site. There is little incidence of stems with a rating of 3 (blight present, sunken surface of cankers, large area covered, fruiting bodies present) or 4 on the Cheat site compared to the Gauley site. Family differences in height, form, dieback/resprouting, and canker occurrence are becoming apparent and are expected to continue.

Parent Publication

Citation

Thomas-Van Gundy, Melissa; Bard, Jane; Kochenderfer, Jeff; Berrang, Paul. 2017. Mortality, early growth, and blight occurrence in hybrid, Chinese, and American chestnut seedlings in West Virginia. In: Kabrick, John M.; Dey, Daniel C.; Knapp, Benjamin O.; Larsen, David R.; Shifley, Stephen R.; Stelzer, Henry E., eds. Proceedings of the 20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2016 March 28-April 1; Columbia, MO. General Technical Report NRS-P-167. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 222-239.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/53779