Abstract:

This Research explores resistance to infection by Heterobasidion spp. in clones of Norway and Sitka spruce. Clones will be inoculated with H. annosum, H. parviporum or H. abietinum and the extent of pathogen growth and lesion development measured. Resistance of clones will be related to qualitative analysis of terpenes. QTL/AFLP maps will be used to determine molecular markers for resistance. Post-infectional responses of clones will be determined by localising the accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins and measuring rate of development of bark boundary and xylem barrier zones to infection. Resistance of xylern to degradation by the pathogens will also be assessed. These data will be used to analyse inheritance of resistance, and to develop methods to predict inheritance of resistance based on experimentally determined markers.

Contacts

Coordinator

• Stephen WOODWARD / University of Aberdeen Dept of Forestry / UNITED KINGDOM

EC Scientific Officer

• Alexandros ARABATZIS / European Commission DG Research Theme 1 Key Action 5.3 / BELGIUM

Participant

• Marco MICHELOZZI / Isituto Miglioramento Genetico Piante Forestali Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche / ITALY
• Panaghiotis TSOPELAS / National Agricultural Research Foundation Forest Research Institute / GREECE
• Halvor SOLHEIM / Norwegian Forest Research Institute (Skogforsk) NORWAY
• Jan STENLID / Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Department of Forest Mycology and Pathology / SWEDEN
• Bo KARLSSON / The Forest Research Institute of Sweden SkogForsk / SWEDEN