[MassChestnutOrchards] Striking out

[Fred Hebard]

Rufin,

Did the tree have female flowers last year, as indicated by burs on  
the ground or other evidence?  Your mention of many male catkins but  
few females is interesting if it bore females previously.

Fred

On Jul 10, 2009, at 6:47 PM, <rufin at charter.net> wrote:

> Fred, The tree at the Quabbin Reservoir did not have any frost  
> damage. We have had a record cool spring but not frost. It also was  
> wet. The tree has had better than two feet of new growth and the  
> leaves are dark green. Many catkins. Looks like all of the growth  
> went into vegetative and not flowers.
>
> Rufin
> ---- Fred Hebard <Fred at acf.org> wrote:
>> 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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