< Select A Different Album Acker-Funk Orchard Inoculation and Rating November 17, 2008 Drs. Fred Hebard and Paul Sisco of the American Chestnut Foundation rated the reaction hybrid chestnut trees growing at the Acker-Funk Orchard had to chestnut bark fungus inoculated last spring. The orchard was inoculated in June of 2008 by Cody Luedtke and Steve Barilovits IV, Stanback Interns working for the American Chestnut Foundation. Click on any photo to enlarge it. Hybrid chestnut trees growing in the orchard maintained by Louis Acker and Allie Funk near the town of Creston in Ashe County, NC are pictured. Cody Luedtke prepares to inoculate one of the trees with chestnut blight fungus. Cosmo, Louis and Allie's pet, looks on. Steve Barilovits IV wraps masking tape around the tree to keep the inoculated fungus secure. Cody Luedtke stands by to inoculate additional trees. What a difference five months make! The same area of the orchard pictured above is shown after most leaves have fallen and an early snow turned the orchard white. Those attending the rating are pictured. From left to right are Louis Acker, Dr. Paul Sisco, David Terpening, Allie Funk, and Dr. Fred Hebard. Doug Gillis took the picture. Dr. Fred Hebard points to the area of a tree inoculated to illustrate the effect of the blight. Each tree rated was inoculated twice near the base with a strong form of the fungus and twice higher on the trunk with a weaker strain. Trees were rated by Dr. Hebard using a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 standing for good resistance to both strains and 5, for poor reaction to both. A number of inoculated trees displayed moderate resistance, as expected, and received a rating of between 3.0 and 3.75. Trees rated 4.0 or 5.0 will be removed from the orchard. Trees will be rated again in the spring of 2009 to determine which trees have recovered somewhat, shown no change, or deteriorated. A decision will be made as to which trees to keep in the orchard and which to remove. Trees kept will be candidates for further backcross and intercross pollination. Dr. Fred Hebard uses an F1 cross of American and Chinese chestnut parents to illustrate characteristics of tree buds, color of twigs, and bark patterns that distinguish the hybrid from a pure American chestnut. During the rating, Dr. Fred Hebard took time to peal off bark from an area of a tree inoculated with the blight fungus. The fungus grows under the outer layer of bark. If not halted by the hybrid tree's defensive growth of cankerous tissue, the fungal growth will circle the tree and cut off nutrients that would sustain the tree. < Select A Different Album < Home