The timber and pulp industries of Finland rely heavily on importations from Russia as source of raw timber. These imports raise the risk of accidentally importing forest pests and pathogens, especially bark beetles and their associated fungi, into Finland. Although ophiostomatoid fungi have previously been reported from Finland and Russia, the risks of accidentally moving these fungi has prompted a first survey to compare the diversity of conifer-infesting bark beetles and associated fungi from boreal forests on both sides of the Finnish-Russian border. The aim of the present study was to identify and characterise Ophiostoma species isolated in association with 11 bark beetle species infesting Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies during this survey in the eastern parts of Finland and neighbouring Russia. Fungal isolates were grouped based on morphology and representatives of each morphological group were subjected to DNA sequence comparisons of the internal transcribed spaced region (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2) and β-tubulin gene region. A total of 15 species of Ophiostoma were identified, including seven known species, five new species, and three species for which the identity remains uncertain. In the O. piceae-complex we identified O. canum, O. floccosum, O. karelicum and O. rachisporum sp. nov., and related to these, some isolates belonging to the European clade of O. minus in the O. minus-complex. Ophiostoma bicolor and O. fuscum sp. nov. were identified in the O. ips-complex, while O. ainoae, O. brunneo-ciliatum, O. tapionis sp. nov. and O. pallidulum sp. nov. were shown to group close to, but not in a strict monophyletic lineage with species of the O. ips-complex. Together with a single O. abietinum-like isolate, the only species that grouped close to the Sporothrix schenckii- O. stenoceras complex, was O. saponiodorum sp. nov.
In Ghana, forests provide many products on which the local population subsists. However, these resources are depleting due to a variety of factors including agricultural expansion and over-exploitation of forest resources. This paper presents an analysis of the level of local dependence on forest resources and its implications for forest management in Ghana. The paper also outlines the causes of continuing deforestation in the studied region from the perspective of the local residents and discusses what role they could play in addressing the problem. The aim is to share more light on the current causes of deforestation and make suggestions for improved community-based forest management practices that could help to reduce deforestation. Primary data was collected through personal interviews and focus group discussions with 431 household heads randomly selected from three Forest Districts in Ghana. The survey showed that income from agriculture constituted 60% of the average total rural household income. Forest income provided 38% of total household income, and off-farm income 2%. The four most highly ranked causes of deforestation are poverty-driven agriculture, lack of alternative rural wage employment other than farming, household population levels, and conflict in traditional land practices. This shows a shift in the view of local people who in the past were quick to blame logging companies and government policies for deforestation. The majority of the respondents depended on wild animals like snail, bush meat, wild honey and wild and cultivated vegetables. Given the reasons for deforestation, much thought needs to go into Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.
Nearby forests improve children’ diets in developing countries, and access to capital enhances the effect.
Species of Grosmannia with Leptographium anamorphs include important forest pathogens and agents of blue stain in timber. They are commonly found in association with forest pests, such as bark beetles. During a survey of ophiostomatoid fungi in eastern parts of Finland and neighboring Russia, species belonging to the genus Grosmannia were isolated from 12 different bark beetle species infesting Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris, the most economically important conifers in the region. Identification of these fungi was based on morphology, DNA sequence comparisons for three gene regions and phylogenetic analyses. A total of ten taxa were identified. These belonged to six different species complexes in Grosmannia. The phylogenetic analyses provided an opportunity to redefine the G. galeiformis-, L. procerum-, L. lundbergii-, G. piceiperda-, G. olivacea- and G. penicillata-complexes, and to consider the species emerging from the survey within the context of these complexes. The species included G. galeiformis, G. olivacea, L. chlamydatum, L. lundbergii, L. truncatum and a novel taxon, described here as L. taigense sp. nov. In addition, species closely related to G. cucullata, G. olivaceapini comb. nov., G. piceiperda and L. procerum were isolated but their identity could not be resolved. The overall results indicate that the diversity of Grosmannia species in the boreal forests remains poorly understood and that further studies are needed to clarify the status of several species or species complexes.
The effect of two stilbene compounds, pinosylvin and resveratrol, on the growth of several fungi was evaluated in plate tests. Wood decay tests were carried out with birch and aspen samples impregnated with the two stilbenes. In plate experiments, resveratrol had an enhancing effect on growth at concentrations where pinosylvin was already enough to prevent the growth of most fungi studied. Pinosylvin impregnated at 0.2% (w/w) concentration significantly reduced the decay caused by all fungi except Phellinus tremulae. In contrast, a resveratrol content of 0.8%, did not protect the wood from decay. A pinosylvin-synthase-encoding gene from Pinus sylvestris was transferred into aspen ( Populus tremula) and two hybrid aspen clones ( Populus tremulax tremuloides) by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants accumulated pinosylvin synthase-specific mRNA and showed stilbene synthase enzyme activity in vitro. Transgenic aspen line H4 showed increased resistance to Phellinus tremulae, while two hybrid aspen transformants decayed faster than the control trees. However, we were unable to detect the accumulation of stilbenes in the transgenic plantlets.
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