Infection of lodgepole pine and white spruce by Alberta isolates of Armillaria

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Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis the white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) is less liable than lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) to be attacked by Alberta isolates of Armillaria. In the first experiment, 27 two-year-old containerized pine and spruce were inoculated with each of 19 different isolates representing North American biological species (NABS) I and V, and the Foothills variant of NABS I, and A. mellea s. str. In the second experiment, 10 containerized seedlings of both species were inoculated with eight different isolates of NABS I and transferred to 2-L pots 2 months later. Inoculum survived better in assocation with spruce seedlings than with pine. In both experiments, spruce seedlings were more frequently infected than pine seedlings, and more likely to die when infected, although this difference was significant only in the first experiment. Favoring or planting spruce on sites with Armillaria root rot, therefore, cannot be recommended in Alberta.

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