Abstract
In southeastern USA, insect vectors transfer pathogenic ophiostomatoid fungi that cause disease in southern pines. During 2007 and 2008, potted longleaf pines (P. palustris Mill.), of similar ages ranging in height from 58 to 198 cm, were inoculated with the following fungi to assess their pathogenicity (and virulence): Grosmannia huntii, Leptographium procerum, L. serpens and L. terebrantis. Seventeen weeks after inoculation, L. terebrantis, L. serpens and G. huntii were found to cause significantly larger lesions and more sapwood discolouration than wounded uninoculated controls. Leptographium terebrantis caused significantly more sapwood discolouration than all other fungi. Despite significant sapwood occlusion after fungal inoculation, no reductions in needle water potentials were observed between treatments. All fungal species were successfully re-isolated from longleaf pine trees.
