RESIN CRYSTALLIZATION RELATED TO WEEVIL RESISTANCE IN WHITE PINE (<i>PINUS STROBUS</i>)

Abstract

Abstract Differences in weevil attack between trees containing crystallizing and non-crystallizing resin were observed. Among twenty non-crystallizers only three trees were successfully attacked by the white-pine weevil. About 50% of the remaining population was successfully attacked. Resin crystallization can thus be used as a characteristic to screen for resistance to the white-pine weevil.Since several other characteristics such as leader diameter, depth of cortical resin ducts and bark thickness are also related to weevil resistance, a discriminant function could be developed to maximize discrimination between susceptible and resistant trees by a properly weighted combination of characteristics related to weevil resistance.