Kim YG, Lee D, Kim S, Kim SV, Choi BY, Shim D, Park YI, Kang KS. Comparing Field Resistance with Pine Wilt Disease Among Six Pine Species at Seedling Stages. J. Korean Soc. For. Sci. 2023;112(2):258-266. https://doi.org/10.14578/jkfs.2023.112.2.258
Abstract: Pine wilt disease is caused by the pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) and has killed many pine trees in Europe and Northeast Asia, including South Korea. Resistance to pine wilt disease varies among species. Previous studies were mostly conducted in nature or greenhouses and only a few in test fields. In this study, seedlings of six pine species (Pinus thunbergii, P. koraiensis, P. densiflora, P. parviflora, P. rigida × P. taeda, and P. strobus) were artificially inoculated by pine wood nematodes in the test field. The Wilt Index was measured every 2 weeks after inoculation in addition to the mortality rate, detection rate, and pine wood nematode concentration measurement after 24 weeks. The pine wilt disease mortality rates were P. thunbergii (80%), P. koraiensis (77.8%), P. densiflora (62.5%), and P. parviflora (22.0%), and both P. rigida × P. taeda and P. strobus survived. The pine nematode detection rates were the same among the species except for P. rigida × P. taeda pine (22.2%). High Wilt-Index values were obtained for P. thunbergii, P. koraiensis, and P. densiflora, which had mortality rates higher than the other species. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the Wilt Indexes between P. parviflora, P. rigida × P. taeda, P. strobus, and the control group. Statistically, P. thunbergii and P. koraiensis showed high susceptibility to pine wilt disease, P. densiflora and P. parviflora showed moderate susceptibility, and P. rigida × P. taeda and P. strobus showed apparent resistance. These results provide basic data for pine wood nematode resistance breeding or as evidence of the need for afforestation of P. rigida × P. taeda and P. strobus.