Making history: Field testing of blight-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata) in the Southern Region

Abstract

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata Marsh. Borkh.) was decimated by an exotic fungus (chestnut blight [Cryphonectria parasitica Murr. Bar]) in the early part of the 20th century. The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) uses a back-cross breeding program to produce a tree that is predicted to be American chestnut in character with blight resistance from Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume). Th e first breeding generation produced in TACF's program predicted to have stable blight resistance is referred to as the "BC₃F₃" and nuts were first available for testing in autumn 2007. Our objective was to examine first-year response in bud break phenology and growth and to determine competitiveness of TACF's American chestnut breeding material, including the putative blight-resistant generation.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings, 17th Central Hardwood Forest Conference

Citation

Clark, Stacy L.; Schlarbaum, Scott E.; Saxton, A.M.; Hebard, Fred V. 2011. Making history: Field testing of blight-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata) in the Southern Region. In: Fei, Songlin; Lhotka, John M.; Stringer, Jeffrey W.; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Miller, Gary W., eds. Proceedings, 17th central hardwood forest conference; 2010 April 5-7; Lexington, KY; Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-78. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 656-657.