Biological and chemical interventions to enhance disease resistance in radiata pine in New Zealand

Abstract: Forest nurseries in New Zealand produce over 50 million radiata pine seedlings (Pinus radiata D Don) annually including seedlings, rooted cuttings and micro-propagated plantlets, and this involves a considerable level of chemical intervention to manage the fungal diseases affecting production. A global trend towards reduced fungicide input has raised interest in alternatives to traditional chemical control strategies and the NZ forest industry is supporting research to investigate the use of defence elicitors and beneficial endophytes to enhance plant resistance and to suppress pathogens. The introduction of ecologically sound biocontrol methods would reduce the dependence on high-risk chemicals for disease management. In this paper we present a brief review on the use of Trichoderma spp., and the chemical elicitor methyl jasmonate in the glasshouse, the nursery and in the forest plantation.