Effects of Fusiform Rust on Survival and Structure of Mississippi and Louisiana Slash Pine Plantations

摘要

Fusiform rust (Cronartium quercuum) is the most common killing disease in slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations. Its impact on future yields depends on many factors: site index, stand density, incidence of stems with rust galls, age of the tree at infection, growth rate of surviving galled trees, adjacent healthy tree response to space provided by rust associated mortality or slow growth, and plantation age at evaluation. The authors attempt to quantify the effects of fusiform rust on unthinned slash pine plantations in Louisiana and south Mississippi.