Short rotation coppice willow in Northern Ireland since 1973: development of the use of mixtures in the control of foliar rust (Melampsora spp.)

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Abstract
Summary: A review is given of the use of clonal mixtures in the development of disease control strategies in short rotation coppice willow in Northern Ireland. Salix burjatica‘Korso’ had been grown successfully for over 10 years when, in 1985, Melampsora epitea var. epitea caused serious problems. Although fungicides were effective, their use was not practical for environmental and economic reasons. Therefore, in 1987 large scale field experiments were initiated to investigate the use of clonal mixtures as a disease control strategy. Increased yields were consistently recorded from mixed stands when compared to either the mean yield of component clones or the individual yields of any of the component clones grown in monoculture. Part of this increased yield was due to a reduction in the impact of rust disease. Investigations are currently being conducted on the effect of number of clones within a mixture, the best clones to use and the optimum planting density. It is essential that there is a range of susceptibilities to M. epitea var. epitea pathotypes within the components of the mixture.