Chestnut blight

Although nuts have been a staple food in many countries for generations, their status in the United States as a chief food crop is relatively recent. The main suppher of Knglish walnuts, filberts, and almonds had been Europe. However, pecans and black walnuts are indigenous to North America, and the United States is the principal producer of pecans. Other U.S. nuts, such as beech, butternut, white walnut, American chestnut, chinquapins, hickory, picon, and northern California black walnut, are utilized mainly for local consumption. Chestnuts and chinquapins are susceptible to the chestnut blight fungus, Endothiaparasitica which has virtually destroyed the American chestnut (152). 

Fig. 10. The effects of chestnut blight (Endothia parasitica) on a deciduous forest ecosystem (after Day Monk, 1974).

The varied interface between the Ascomycetes and foods ranges from their very negative, parasitic habit on certain crops (exemplified by Chestnut blight fungus or ergot on grains) and their causative involvement in certain foodborne diseases to their positive use in connection with the production (notably by fermentation) of major food products, such as bread and wine. 

Most nuts have a large concentration of protein, and are an important food source for wildlife. Humans often eat nuts as well. Formerly, Native Americans would leach out the astringent tannins from acorns so they could be eaten. North Americans once prized the nuts of the American chestnnt (Castanea dentata) as a food. However, these trees have been decimated by an introduced fungus, known as the Chestnut blight. Now, nuts of the sweet chestnut tree (Cadtomea sakua) are occasionally served instead. 

There are a few minor wood-based chemical industries. After chestnut blight wiped out the American chestnut, U.S. tannin production essentially ceased. The main natural tannins, watde and quebracho, are now imported. High U.S. labor costs and the advent of synthetic tannins make re-establishment of a U.S. tannin industry unlikely. Tannins are used in oil-weU drilling muds. Tree exudates are a continuing wood-based chemical industry. Tree exudates include mbber, tme carbohydrate gums (eg, acacia gum), kinos (eg, the phenolic exudates from eucalyptus), balsams (eg, Storax from l iquidambar spp.), and many different types of oleoresins (mixtures of a soHd resin and a liquid essential oil). The most important oleoresin stiU collected in the United States is pine gum (rosin plus turpentine). 

Japanese, 69 problems of, 69-70 Chestnut blight, 69,369 Chestnut weevils, chestnut and,70 Chickadees, as beneficial predators, 7... 

C. mollis Sima is a Chinese chestnut. Nuts of C. mollissima are medium-large in size (10-30g) with good quality. It is the most tolerant species to chestnut blight [2,7]. Hybrids of dentata and mollisima are supposedly bUght-tolerant and have a quality similar to that of C. dentata. 

Russin J S, Shain L 1984 Colonization of chestnut blight cankers by Ceratocystis microspora and C. eucastaneae. Phytopathology 74 1257-1261... 

Growing Conditions Mild, temperate cQ-male with tew hosty niighls. Does best on wen drained soils. The N. Ainetican chestnut is the hardiest ol the varieties, but it was practically wiped out by chestnut blight Hence, hybrids ol the Ameritran and Oriental chestnuts are now hebig grown. 

---