Evaluation of an alternative small stem assay for blight resistance in American, Chinese, and hybrid chestnuts (Castanea spp.)
We tested an alternative small stem assay (SSA) for blight resistance in chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Whereas standard SSAs are done by inoculating small incisions in stems, we cut off stems (4 to 5 mm diameter), inoculated the cut ends with disks of Cryphonectria parasitica inoculum, and covered them with plastic sleeves. This method was designed to be relatively simple to implement, to consistently induce cankering, and to better enable seedlings to recover by developing shoots from the lower stem (standard SSAs delay removal of blighted stems until late in the growing season, if at all). We conducted six experiments with seedlings and orchard trees of Castanea dentata (susceptible), C. mollissima (resistant), and hybrids expected to vary in resistance. Experiments with seedlings and two of the three orchard experiments showed clear differentiation between susceptible and resistant types, especially after 90 days post-inoculation and when the orange-colored zone of the canker was measured. One orchard experiment failed to give clear results, but was ended earlier (60 days) than the other experiments. We observed only two failed inoculations out of over 200 performed. Comparisons with other studies suggest that this SSA method performs at least as well as the standard SSA method in distinguishing resistant and susceptible types, at least in seedlings. Survivorship after one year for seedlings inoculated in 2018 ranged from 70% for C. dentata to 100% for C. mollissima, and in 2019 ranged from 40% in F1s to 100% for C. mollissima. Deaths of seedlings following SSAs were mostly unrelated to the inoculations (e.g., root rot).