Root Rot studies of fir species in New York Christmas trees production

Abstract

Fraser fir is considered a premium tree and is favored by many NY Christmas tree growers, unfortunately it often suffers from root rot and sudden death. Over the past few years our work looked at three components of the problem in order to develop solutions for growers. 1) The susceptibility of different varieties of fir: in our field study we found that Turkish fir was the most resistant to root rot. 2) The species of Phytophthora most commonly associated with the decayed root systems: Phytophthora cactorum and P. cryptogea were consistently isolated. 3.) Relationship of soil characteristics with tree death at four NY farms: this data was collected in fall of 2012 and analysis is being concluded in the first quarter of 2013. This report is a review of the third component which took place in 2013.