4.4.5S: Genetic interactions of white pines and blister rust in western North America

Abstract

A century since its introduction to North America from Europe, white pine blister rust has come to be recognized as one of the catastrophic plant disease epidemics in history. It has yet to stabilize, continuing to spread and intensify. The nine native white pine hosts comprise major timber producers, important watershed protectors, keystone ecological species, and the oldest trees on earth. All are highly susceptible and some have been damaged severely in parts of their native range, as well as where they have been planted as exotics. Resistance, the most promising approach to control, requires understanding of genetic interactions between hosts and pathogen, a quest that has been ongoing for half a century.

Citation

Kinloch Jr., Bohun B. 1998. 4.4.5S: Genetic interactions of white pines and blister rust in western North America. In: Proc. 7th Intl. Congr. Plant Pathology, 9-16 Aug. 1998, Edinburgh, Scotland; Theme 4: Global Perspectives; Section 4.4: Diseases which disrupt natural ecosystems