Growth and virulence of Ceratocystis rufipenni and three blue-stain fungi isolated from the Douglas-fir beetle

Abstract

Blue-stain fungi were isolated from the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, and from Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, colonized by the beetle. Growth of the three most commonly isolated blue-stain fungi (Leptographium abietinum (Peck) Wingfield, Ophiostoma europhioides (Wright & Cain) Solheim, Ophiostoma pseudotsugae (Rumbold) von Arx), and Ceratocystis rufipenni Wingfield, Harrington, & Solheim, an important associate of the spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), was studied in sapwood and phloem of live Douglas-fir trees, on malt agar, and on malt agar under oxygen-deficient conditions. The two Ophiostoma species grew better in the phloem and induced longer phloem necroses than the other fungi. Ceratocystis rufipenni and O. europhioides grew better in the sapwood and induced deeper sapwood occlusion. All fungi were relatively fast growing on malt agar, with O. pseudotsugae growing fastest and L. abietinum, slowest. Growth of C. rufipenni and O. europhioides was inhibited less by low oxygen levels than the other fungi, and this may explain why these two fungi were better able to colonize live sapwood.Key words: Ceratocystis rufipenni, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae, Douglas-fir, Leptographium abietinum, Ophiostoma europhioides, Ophiostoma pseudotsugae.