[MassChestnutOrchards] Striking out

[Fred Hebard]

Mike,

Are you sure there is a lack of female flowers or are they just late  
due to the cool weather?  There are a few factors that I have seen  
reduce flower set.

   First, although chestnut is a reliable bloomer, it does vary in  
bloom set from year to year; for instance, a light year will tend to  
follow a heavy year, and vice versa.

  Second, late spring frosts that kill the terminal bud reduce flower  
set because the main flower crop is preformed in the buds the  
previous fall.

  Third, there are leaf-spot-like fungal pathogens that can cause  
defoliation and thus lack of bloom formation; in this case, you will  
see a sequence of normal leaf and flower development, then a blank  
phase where the defoliation occurred, then, perhaps, resumption of  
normal leaf development.  Thus the stem will have gaps in it where no  
leaves form.  If the gaps coincide with the nodes where female  
flowers normally occur, no flowers.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Frederick V. Hebard, PhD
Staff Pathologist, Meadowview Research Farms
American Chestnut Foundation
14005 Glenbrook Ave.
Meadowview, VA 24361

Email: Fred at acf.org
Web: http://www.acffarms.org
Phone: (276) 944-4631
Fax: (276) 944-0934


On Jul 9, 2009, at 8:41 PM, mike.meixsell at juno.com wrote:

> Hi Rufin and colleagues,
>
> Sounds like we have experienced a lack of female flowers throughout  
> a wide area here in MA. It seems likely that the cause must be the  
> cold and wet weather. Wonder if anyone has any information on how  
> the weather affects the blooming. Would Siscoe or Hebert have any  
> opinions ?
>
> Mike M.
>
>
>
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