Insect-induced crystallization of white pine resins. I. white-pine weevil

Abstract

In breeding programs designed to produce insect-resistant plants, a serious obstacle to progress often is the lack of efficient selection and testing criteria. Natural infestations of some insects are large and severe enough to allow selection of resistant plants directly from the natural plant population. However, the attacks of the white-pine weevil (Pissodes strobi Peck), the major pest of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), are limited to a small proportion of the trees in a stand or plantation in any given year. Moreover, weevil attack is influenced by the interaction between several environmental factors and the growth rate of the tree. Yet a single successful attack during the first 15 or 20 years of a tree's life may ruin it for quality lumber production. Obviously a definite need exists for criteria by which the relative resistance of white pine trees to this insect can be determined.

Citation

Santamour, Frank S., Jr. 1965. Insect-induced crystallization of white pine resins. I. white-pine weevil. Research Note NE-38. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 1-8