Identities of foliar endophytes of conifers

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Insect damage in Canada's forests is a major economic and environmental problem; not only do insects reduce the value of the eventual forest harvest by killing trees, but forest damage is one of Canada's largest contributors to CO2 emissions - cumulative damage from the mountain pine beetle in BC is comparable to CO2 release from all other sources. In eastern Canada, even modest temperature increases may precipitate epidemics of insects and fungal pathogens that kill conifers and promote forest fires, resulting in excessive CO2 release if the wood is not harvested quickly. This program will develop new methods to control the eastern spruce budworm, one of the most economically-damaging pests, by inoculating trees with selected beneficial fungi (endophytes) that are poisonous to the budworm; reducing the budworm growth rate and increasing their exposure to parasites and natural bacterial pathogens. It is known that strains of foliar endophytes from white spruce produce compounds that affect the spruce budworm in trees grown in growth chambers as well as under field conditions. Previous studies have led to the commercial scale production of endophyte-enhanced white spruce seedlings. Red spruce endophytes producing anti-insect metabolites have been identified that have also been successfully inoculated. Under exploration are foliar endophytes of white pine that potentially affect tolerance to white pine blister rust and insects such as the white pine weevil. Blister rust is an introduced pathogen which has eliminated the high value white pine in BC and parts of the USA. This project will codify the taxonomic certainty essential for documenting and developing additional useful endophytic fungal strains and protecting the IP inherent in their application (stronger patent protection for Canada). JD Irving Ltd forests are certified, which demands a strong ecological knowledge base and limited use of pesticides, and thus this research is of importance to them. Sustained interest from the most competitive forest products company in Canada demonstrates this program's economic relevance in these tough economic times. This company has the capacity to make most use of the practical applications of this information.