Spread of Stereum sanguinolentum vegetative compatibility groups within a stand and within stems of Picea abies

Abstract

A total of 57 naturally established Stereum sanguinolentum isolates was obtained from artificially wounded Picea abies stems in a forest area of 2 ha in Lithuania. Somatic incompatibility tests revealed 27 vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) that contained 1–10 isolates. There was no spatial clustering of S. sanguinolentum VCGs within the forest area. The extent of S. sanguinolentum decay was analysed in 48 P. abies stems, 9–26 cm in diameter at breast height. Within 7 years of wounding, the length of S. sanguinolentum decay column in stems was 107–415 cm (291.5 ± 77.3 cm on average), lateral spread of the fungus at the butt was 38–307 cm2 (142.3 ± 66.8 cm2) and decayed proportion of the stem cross-section at the wound site (the butt) was 3–84% (36.8 ± 19.7%). In average, S. sanguinolentum VCG that infected 10 trees exhibited more slow growth inside the stem than VCGs that infected only one tree, and vertical growth varied to a greater extent within this VCG than among different VCGs. Correlation between stem diameter and vertical spread of S. sanguinolentum was not significant (r = –0.103). Despite uniformity of debarked area on all stems 7 years ago (300 cm2), open wound sizes on individual trees at the time of study were between 97–355 cm2 (215.1 ± 59.2 cm2) indicating large differences in wound healing capacity.