Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 13, 2008
Publication Date: June 6, 2008
Citation: Bentz, S.E., Montgomery, M.E., Olsen, R.T. 2008. Resistance of hemlock species and hybrids to hemlock woolly adelgid. Fouth Symposium on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in the Eastern United States, 12-14 February 2008. Technical Abstract: The native eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, and the Carolina hemlock, T. caroliniana, suffer injury and death following infestation by the hemlock woolly adelgid(HWA), Adelges tsugae, an introduced pest. Asian hemlocks are reported to be more tolerant. Research on the nature of genetic resistance of hemlock to HWA at the U.S. National Arboretum focuses on three areas of investigation: 1. Evaluate hemlock interspecific hybrids and parent species for HWA resistance and landscape merit; 2. Investigate the nature of the apparent crossability barrier between T. canadensis and T. chinensis; and 3. Plant and evaluate wild-collected T. chinensis germplasm for landscape suitability and HWA resistance. Hybridization studies combined with field evaluation may lead to the development of trees that are both tolerant to the adelgid, and horticulturally desirable.