Early results from field trials using Hypholoma fasciculare to reduce Armillaria ostoyae root disease

Abstract

Armillaria ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink. causes serious damage to forest tree species worldwide. In this study, Hypholoma fasciculare (Huds. ex Fr.) Kummer was inoculated, after logging, into areas in south-central British Columbia that had been identified as having high levels of A. ostoyae. Hypholoma fasciculare was successfully established in a variety of different types of trials, as indicated by growth of H. fasciculare mycelium into roots of inoculated stumps and the presence of fruiting bodies on and around stumps. Three to five years after treatment, inoculated plots had biologically and statistically significantly lower levels of mortality attributable to A. ostoyae.Key words: Hypholoma fasciculare, Armillaria, biocontrol, woody debris.