Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-136).

No description available.

Hylurgopinus rufipes, the native elm bark beetle (NEBB), is the major vector of Dutch elm disease (DED) in Manitoba. Dissections of American elms (Ulmus americana), in the same year as DED symptoms appeared in them, showed that NEBB constructed brood galleries in which a generation completed development, and adult NEBB carrying DED spores would probably leave the newly-symptomatic trees. Rapid removal of freshly diseased trees, completed by mid-August, will prevent spore-bearing NEBB emergence, and is recommended. The relationship between presence of NEBB in stained branch sections and the total number of NEEB per tree could be the basis for methods to prioritize trees for rapid removal. Numbers and densities of overwintering NEBB in elm trees decreased with increasing height, with >70% of the population overwintering above ground doing so in the basal 15 cm. Substantial numbers of NEBB overwinter below the soil surface, and could be unaffected by basal spraying. Mark-recapture studies showed that frequency of spore bearing by overwintering beetles averaged 45% for the wild population and 2% for marked NEBB released from disease-free logs. Most NEBB overwintered close to their emergence site, but some traveled ≥4.8 km before wintering. Studies comparing efficacy of insecticides showed that chlorpyrifos gave 100% control of overwintering NEBB for two years as did bifenthrin: however, permethrin and carbaryl provided transient efficacy. NEBB showed a gradual increase in development rate with increasing constant temperature. Lipid content of overwintering NEBB was higher in late fall than in mid-winter, which might show that depletion of fat reserves could jeopardize survival, but could be a result of conversion to cryoprotectants.

The aim of this thesis was to find out and map the occurrence of elm trees in Novohradske Mountains and in parts of the surrounding foothills. There is a natural occurrence of Wych elm (Ulmus glabra) on the respective territory which was confirmed by my research. I also managed to find six Field elm trees (Ulmus minor) that are not to be found on this territory naturally. A natural occurrence and purposeful growing of Wych elm tree (Ulmus glabra) is also proved in historical records dating as far back as 17th century when the respective territory was part of the Buquoy manor. During my field research I was able to find 40 localities with altogether 783 registered elm trees with the height of over 3 m. Researching the records of Forests of the Czech Republic, State Enterprise I also managed to find 10 more locations where I could register only 12 grown elm trees, since the remaining approximately 580 elm trees up to 5 m of height have been planted in the last decade and their numbers will be changing in the following decades as a result of 4 silvicultural measures. It mostly concerns elm trees that can be found in plastic protection or surrounded by forest fences against animal gnawing. It is interesting that there are several over aged specimen mostly in old alleys on the respective territory and all other elm trees do not exceed the estimated age of 50 years.

No description available.

Almsjukan är en vissnesjukdom orsakad av invasiva skadesvampar i släktet Ophiostoma. På grund av almsjukan är svenska almar kritiskt hotade och nya metoder att skydda almar behövs därför akut. Biologisk kontroll är en lovande strategi mot trädsjukdomar som almsjukan, men det behövs mer kunskap innan metoden kan tillämpas i praktiken. Endofytsvampar som lever inuti växter utan att orsaka symptom har visat sig kunna forma trädets motståndskraft. I tidigare in vitro studier har en endofytsvamp i släktet Fusarium uppvisat kemisk antagonism mot almsjukepatogener i odling på standardagar. I denna studie undersöktes om samma reaktion även uppkommer när svampar odlas på agar som berikats med almbarkextrakt som innehåller bl.a. fenoliska substanser. I in vitro tester med Fusarium-svampen och två Ophiostoma-isolater upptäcktes att den antagonistiska reaktionen fanns kvar trots almkemikalier, vilket antyder att reaktionen kan vara stabil även inuti almar. Resultaten tyder på att almens kemikalier kan förstärka Fusarium-svampens antagonism mot den aggressivare patogenen, O. novo-ulmi. Studien bekräftar därför Fusarium endofytens potential i biokontroll av almsjukan.

Sun-exposed broad leaved deciduous trees have a great species diversity of epiphytic lichens. In Europe, these trees have decreased dramatically in number as wooded pastures have become overgrown with trees and bushes, and broad leaved deciduous stands have been replaced by planted coniferous trees. These are the main reasons for many lichens depending on deciduous trees being red-listed. Epiphytic lichens in overgrown areas could benefit from conservation thinning, but few studies have been performed on how this type of cutting affects the lichens. In a previous study, the presence of red-listed epiphytic lichens in a broad leaved deciduous forest was examined. After the study, thinning of trees and bushes was made. Here we study the effects of this thinning on Lobaria pulmonaria. We tested possible factors that may affect the growth of L. pulmonaria, and if there were any differences in incidence and vitality of the lichen between managed and unmanaged stands. Since Dutch elm disease and ash dieback are well spread in the area, we wanted to see if they also affected the growth of L. pulmonaria. There were no differences in incidence and growth between managed and unmanaged stands. The results were unexpected since other studies show that, for instance, increased sun exposure often has a great effect on the growth of lichens. Many elms and ashes were dead or dying and had a significant negative effect on the change of number of lobes and the lobe surface. The diseases of the trees can thus be assumed to be the greatest cause of why the lichens in the managed stand did not benefit from thinning.

No description available.

Biodiversitet innebär en hög artsammansättning och är viktigt för fungerande ekosystem. Almar (Ulmus-arter) är ett träd som hyser en mängd andra arter och som värderas högt i urbana miljöer. Almar drabbas tyvärr av svampsjukdomen almsjukan som leder till att trädet dör. Detta kan dock motverkas med hjälp av vaccinet Dutch Trig®. Det är känt att vaccinet motverkar almsjukan men kunskapen om vaccinet möjligen påverkar andra arter och organismer än almsjukan är låg. Denna studie utfördes i syfte att undersöka och jämföra om epifyters mångfald och allmäntillståndet mellan ovaccinerade och vaccinerade almar skiljde sig. Metoden för studien delades upp i två delar, en tillväxtmätning och visuell granskning samt en kartläggning av epifyter. Resultatet och analysen visade att skillnaden mellan grupperna hos en variabel var signifikant, hos resterande variabler kunde skillnaderna bero på slumpen. Trots detta kunde ändå vissa mönster utläsas och slutsatsen att det fanns en skillnad både i allmäntillstånd och biodiversitet kunde dras.

Ophiostoma novo-ulmi is the causal agent of Dutch elm disease (DED) which has had a severe impact on the urban landscape in Canada. This research program focused on developing molecular genetic strategies to control this pathogenic fungus. The first strategy involved the development of RNA interference (RNAi) for the down-regulation of genes involved in pathogenicity. An efficient RNAi cassette was developed to suppress the expression of the endopolygalacturonase (epg1) locus which encodes a cell-wall degrading enzyme. This epg1-RNAi cassette significantly reduced the amount of polygalacturonase activity in the fungus and resulted in almost complete degradation of epg1 mRNA. The need for a native promoter to selectively down-regulate specific gene loci was addressed by developing a carbon-catabolite regulated promoter (alcA) to drive the expression of the epg1-RNAi cassette. The expression of an alcA-driven epg1-RNAi cassette resulted in the down-regulation of epg expression under glucose starvation but normal levels of expression in high glucose. The expression could therefore be controlled by culture conditions. The second strategy explored the potential of using dsRNA viruses to vector disruptive RNAi cassettes. An isolate of O. novo-ulmi strain 93-1224 collected in the city of Winnipeg, was infected by two dsRNA mitoviruses which upon sequence characterization were named OnuMV1c and OnuMV7. To assess the transmissibility of this dsRNA virus the infected isolate 93-1224 was paired with three naive isolates of the related fungi O. ulmi and O. himal-ulmi. Through the use of nuclear and mitochondrial markers it was determined that the virus OnuMV1c may not rely on mitochondrial fusion for transmission but may have a cytoplasmic transmission route. This investigation of gene expression and manipulation has provided tools to help understand gene regulation in O. novo-ulmi. It has also added to our knowledge of mitoviruses, their transmission and potential use as a biological control. By enhancing our understanding of transmissible hypovirulence this work contributes to efforts to develop a new approach to target DED as well as a potential model for the control of other fungal diseases. / Graduate / 0307 / 0306 / 0369 / jscarneiro@hotmail.com