%0 Research article
%T Spread of Stereum sanguinolentum vegetative compatibility groups within a stand and within stems of Picea abies
%A Vasiliauskas, Rimvydas
%A Stenlid, Jan
%D 1998
%J Silva Fennica
%V 32
%N 4
%R doi:10.14214/sf.672
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/672
%X A total of 57 naturally established Stereum sanguinolentum isolates was  obtained from artificially wounded Picea abies stems in a forest area of  2 ha in Lithuania. Somatic incompatibility tests revealed 27 vegetative  compatibility groups (VCGs) that contained 1–10 isolates. There was no  spatial clustering of S. sanguinolentum VCGs within the forest area. The  extent of S. sanguinolentum decay was analysed in 48 P. abies stems,  9–26 cm in diameter at breast height. Within 7 years of wounding, the  length of S. sanguinolentum decay column in stems was 107–415 cm (291.5 ±  77.3 cm on average), lateral spread of the fungus at the butt was  38–307 cm2 (142.3 ± 66.8 cm2) and decayed proportion of the stem  cross-section at the wound site (the butt) was 3–84% (36.8 ± 19.7%). In  average, S. sanguinolentum VCG that infected 10 trees exhibited more  slow growth inside the stem than VCGs that infected only one tree, and  vertical growth varied to a greater extent within this VCG than among  different VCGs. Correlation between stem diameter and vertical spread of  S. sanguinolentum was not significant (r = –0.103). Despite uniformity  of debarked area on all stems 7 years ago (300 cm2), open wound sizes on  individual trees at the time of study were between 97–355 cm2 (215.1 ±  59.2 cm2) indicating large differences in wound healing capacity.