Anna Gunulf, Rebecka Mc Carthy, Jonas Rönnberg. (2012). Control efficacy of stump treatment and influence of stump height on natural spore infection by Heterobasidion spp. of precommercial thinning stumps of Norway spruce and birch. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 5 article id 917. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.917

Keywords: Picea abies; Betula spp.; precommercial thinning; stump treatment; Heterobasidion spp.; Phlebiopsis gigantea; stump height

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

An alternative precommercial thinning technique results in trees being cut higher up the stem compared to the normal method using a brush saw. The aims of this study were to investigate if primary infection of Heterobasidion spp. on precommercial thinning stumps of Norway spruce and birch is influenced by stump height and to test the control efficacy of stump treatment with Phlebiopsis gigantea on precommercial thinning stumps of Norway spruce. Small Norway spruce and birch trees were felled on five sites in southern Sweden and their stumps subjected to natural spore infection. For each species, two treatments of stump height were created: 15 and 100 cm. Half of the Norway spruce stumps were treated with P. gigantea. After two months, 896 stumps were sampled and infection by Heterobasidion spp. was quantified. The height of stumps did not significantly influence infection frequency or size of infection on either tree species. Untreated Norway spruce stumps had an infection frequency of 55% while 31% of the treated stumps were infected. The control efficacy of stump treatment in terms of reduced relative infected area was 61–65%. The area occupied by Heterobasidion spp. on birch stumps was generally small, on average 0.4 cm2 per infected stump, although 15% of the stumps were infected. The risk of primary infection in Norway spruce dominated stands should be considered when precommercial thinning is conducted but the control efficacy and economy of stump treatment warrants further investigation before practical recommendations can be made.

Gunulf, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, P.O. Box 49, SE-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden E-mail: anna.gunulf@slu.se
Mc Carthy, Skogsforsk, Ekebo 2250, SE-268 90 Svalöv, Sweden E-mail: Rebecka.McCarthy@skogforsk.se
Rönnberg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, P.O. Box 49, SE-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden E-mail: jonas.ronnberg@slu.se

article id 272, category Research article

Jonas Rönnberg, Mattias Berglund, Ulf Johansson. (2007). Incidence of butt rot at final felling and at first thinning of the subsequent rotation of Norway spruce stands in south-western Sweden. Silva Fennica vol. 41 no. 4 article id 272. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.272

Keywords: Picea abies; consecutive rotations; disease transmission; Heterobasidion annosum; Heterobasidion parviporum; stump treatment

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

The incidence of butt rot in Norway spruce stands at final felling and at first thinning of the subsequent rotation was investigated at 20 sites in south-western Sweden. There was a negative correlation between the incidence at first thinning and the basal area of decayed trees at final felling. Using incidence of decay or basal area of decayed trees to predict disease transfer between rotations is difficult and requires the inclusion of several factors, making predictions uncertain. The level of infection found at final felling in this study varied between 7 and 71.8%, indicating that the risk of spore infection transfer to the next rotation was probably quite low. Long-term experiments are required to reveal the effect of stump treatment on disease transmission between rotations.

Rönnberg, SLU, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, P.O. Box 49, SE-23053 Alnarp, Sweden E-mail: jonas.ronnberg@ess.slu.se
Berglund, SLU, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, P.O. Box 49, SE-23053 Alnarp, Sweden E-mail: mb@nn.se
Johansson, Tönnersjöheden Experimental Forest, P.O. Box 17, SE-31038 Simlångsdalen, Sweden E-mail: uj@nn.se

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