Authors: Alexia M Kelley John S King
Publish Date: 2014/06/20
Volume: 28, Issue: 5, Pages: 1343-1353
Abstract
Loblolly pine Pinus taeda L is one of the most important tree crops in the southern United States comprising 45 of commercial forestry land Stem defects can reduce timber product quality and influence competitive interactions We examined the effects of controlling Nantucket pine tip moth Rhyacionia frustrata Scudder in Comstock 1880 and site management fertilizer or herbicide use on stem defects of two fullsib families C1 and C2 and two clonal varieties V1 and V2 of loblolly pine at upper and lower coastal plain sites in North Carolina UCP and LCP respectively At UCP V1 and V2 had fewer stem defects with insecticide treatment indicating that pest pressure affected stem form C2 had twice as many defects as other genotypes at LCP while C1 had the most defects at UCP showing that carefully matching site and genotype could improve plantation performance without increasing costs Additionally we examined the effects of Hurricane Irene on stem leaning at LCP V1 the tallest genotype was most strongly affected indicating genotype differences in tolerance to this form of abiotic stress Interestingly insecticide treatment decreased the negative effects of the hurricane on C1 stem lean indicating that tip moth pressure may make C1 more susceptible Our results illustrate that the interaction of biotic and abiotic stressors such as pest infestation and climate can strongly impact stem form potentially affecting ecophysiological function and economic value Costeffective silvicultural options such as pest control and management of genetic resources can potentially decrease exposure to such environmental riskThis project was funded by Bayer CropScience LP Research Triangle Park NC and the USDA Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center 08JV11330147038 Jordan Siminitz Matt Ziglar Garrett Lewis Sam Griffith and Brian Johnson helped to collect the data for this project The North Carolina State University Natural Resources Foundation and the Departmental Piedmont Forests management staffs were instrumental in providing the land for the experiments and maintaining operational conditions of the plantations
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