White pine blister rust (WPBR) caused by the fungus
Cronartium ribicola is a devastating introduced disease
of five-needled pines (Section Strobus) and Ribes species
in North America.
The impact of WPBR in Minnesota has hampered attempts
to replant P. strobus in many high-hazard sites in the
northeastern and north-central portions of the state. The development of resistant P. strobus seedlings
will make planting P. strobus in Minnesota (and other areas
of the Lake States, Northeastern US and Canada) more successful and will
significantly improve current efforts to re-establish white pine
throughout its original native range.
Our
lab is focused on two main areas of white pine blister rust research:
1. Screening Pinus
strobus seed sources for resistance to WPBR
2. Identifying
resistance mechanisms/traits in resistant phenotypes
In conjunction with the Minnesota
Tree Improvement Cooperative we are screening Eastern white pine seed sources (primarily
from Minnesota) for resistance to WPBR. Several seed
sources have been consistently resistant after artificial inoculations. One of these seed sources has recently been released for planting and is called Patton's Silver Splendor. This cultivar was named in recognition of Professor Robert Patton who carried out a great deal of early work on selecting white pines for resistance.
The seed sources identified as resistant
by screening are also being used to identify resistance mechanisms/traits
in needles and stems that may be used for future selection or breeding
strategies. Using histology, scanning electron microscopy and biochemical
analyses we are investigating potential mechanisms/traits that may
contribute to resistance to white pine blister rust. Research findings
indicate that multiple mechanisms may be present in resistant phenotypes.
Publications:
Jacobs, J.J., T. A. Burnes, A. J. David and R., A., Blanchette. 2009. Histopathology of primary needles and mortality associated with white pine blister rust in resistant and susceptible Pinus strobus. Forest Pathology 39:361-376. reprint
Burnes, T. A., R. A. Blanchette, J. A. Smith and J. J. Luby. 2008. Black currant clonal identity and white pine blister rust resistance. HortScience 43:200-202.reprint
Smith, J.A., Blanchette, R.A., Jacobs, J.J., Higgins,
L., Witthun, B. A., Gillman, J. H. and A. J. David. 2006. Proteomic
comparison of needles from blister rust-resistant and susceptible
Pinus strobus seedlings reveals up-regulation of putative disease
resistance proteins. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 19: 150-160.reprint
Smith, J.A., Blanchette, R.A., Burnes, T.A., Gillman,
J.H. and A. J. David. 2006. Epicuticular wax and white pine blister
rust resistance in selections of Pinus strobus L. Phytopathology
96: 171-177. reprint
Jurgens, J.A., R.A. Blanchette, P.J. Zambino, and
A. David. 2003. Histology of white pine blister rust in needles
of resistant and susceptible eastern white pine. Plant Disease
87(9): 1026-1030. reprint
Smith, J. A. T. A. Burnes, J. A. Jurgens, A. J.
David and R. A. Blanchette. 2003. Potential resistance mechanisms
in Pinus strobus to Cronartium ribicola. In: Proceedings of the
Second IUFRO Rusts of Forest Trees Working Party Conference, 19-
23 Aug., 2002, Xu, M.-Q., Walla, J.A., and Zhao, W.-X. (eds.) Yangling,
China Forest Research 16 (Suppl). reprint
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A white pine seed source we have found to be resistant to white pine blister rust, named 'Patton's Silver Splendor' has been released by the University of Minnesota and is available at many nurseries.

A native white pine growing in northern Minnesota being attacked by white pine blister
rust

Blisters on bark of infected white pine filled
with aeciospores. These spores are produced in the spring
and infect Ribes
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Seedlings of eastern white pine families in the greenhouse being
used for inoculation studies to select resistant white pine
to white pine blister rust |
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