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One possible option to avoid infections of the root rot fungus Heterobasidion annosum s.s. in plantations of Pinus sylvestris is to thin as few times and as late as possible. For this purpose, experimental plantations of P. sylvestris were established on former agricultural land in central Lithuania, where pine seedlings had been sparsely planted in different mixture schemes with the deciduous species Robinia pseudoacacia, Amorpha fruticosa and Betula pendula. As a control, two plantations of pure P. sylvestris were established at the same site in different densities. We estimated tree and stand characteristics in the experimental plantations at the age of 25 years and identified the community of wood-inhabiting fungi. No infection of H. annosum s.s. was found. The results showed that intercropping allows delayed thinnings and a better economical result could be obtained in mixed than in pure pine stands. Crown width and stem taper of the individual trees, however, were negatively affected by the wide spacing, but still remaining acceptable from a silvicultural point of view. The fungal flora differed between externally healthy and declining pines within a forest site. Higher mycodiversity was revealed in wood of declining trees. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Persistence of the root rot pathogen Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. s.s. on infested areas and its transfer to a forest regeneration was studied in three forest sites in eastern Lithuania. The sites represented H. annosum disease centres in Pinus sylvestris L. stands, which were clear-felled and replanted with Betula pendula Roth 25 years prior to our study. Fungal isolation from trees and stumps on each site was performed on both replanted B. pendula and surrounding P. sylvestris from the previous generation. Low productivity of B. pendula stands (45.0–76.1 m3·ha–1), high mortality rates, and comparatively low vigor of trees (measured as crown densities) indicated a strong impact of root rot. Based on somatic incompatibility tests, we detected large spreading areas of clones of H. annosum (up to 48 m across) and old (35- to 40-year-old) clonal individuals. Territorial clones covered areas that encompassed both previous stands of P. sylvestris and current stands of B. pendula. Our results showed that H. annosum is able to persist in root systems of diseased trees for decades and readily attack birch replanted on infested sites. In addition, a total of 83 fungal species (out of 398 isolates) was found as a result of sampling 508 B. pendula, 49 P. sylvestris, 21 Juniperus communis L., and 1 Salix cinerea L. trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The community of Aphyllophorales fungi in stumps of Picea abies (L.) Karst. and the occurrence of root rot caused by Heterobasidion annosum were investigated at 38 clear-felled sites in Lithuania. Fruit-bodies were recorded on 36.0% of the 3924 examined stumps. The most common were Bjerkandera adusta, Phlebiopsis gigantea, Fomitopsis pinicola, Gloeophyllum sepiarium, Stereum sanguinolentum, Trametes zonata and H. annosum. All species occurred in stumps both with and without established root rot, but B. adusta, F. pinicola, G. sepiarium, T. zonata and Trichaptum abietinum occurred less often in stumps containing root rot, while H. annosum was encountered more often. Greater numbers of fruit-bodies were found on stumps cut in summer than on those cut in winter. The fruiting became most abundant 3-4 yrs after the trees were felled. The abundance of nearly all Aphyllophorales correlated positively with the stump diameter, and on larger stumps, fruit-bodies of several different fungi were more common. The number of stumps containing H. annosum root rot in different sites varied from 9.8% to 68.8%, and was 27.6% on average. The incidence of root rot correlated neither with the age nor with the density of the felled stand, but it correlated negatively with the proportion of deciduous trees within a stand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]