Problems of Forensic Sciences 2013 Vol. 93 (XCIII) 465-474
DNA MARKERS USED TO IDENTIFY PATHOGENS CAUSING ROOT ROT DISEASE IN SPRUCE (PICEA ABIES L. KARST.) FOR FORENSIC PURPOSES
Justyna A. NOWAKOWSKA1, Małgorzata BORYS1, Tomasz OSZAKO2, 3
1Department of Silviculture and Genetics, Forest Research Institute, Sękocin Stary, Poland
2Department of Forest Protection, Forest Research Institute, Sękocin Stary, Poland
3Department of Forestry, Technical University of Białystok, Hajnówka, Poland
Streszczenie
The paper describes the first case of a Polish court using reliable DNA identification of the harmful pathogens Heterobasidion annosum (s. str.) and H. parviporum, causing major wood root rot in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.). In 2011, the District Court in E. received a complaint from a non-governmental organization concerning the illegal removal of spruces growing in a hedge close to private residential buildings. The Court asked the Forest Research Institute to confirm the validity of the local authority’s decision to remove the spruce hedge. To this end, two means of diagnosis were applied, i.e. visual estimation of symptoms of root rot disease caused by Heterobasidion spp. and their identification in decayed wood tissues on the basis of molecular DNA methods. Typical rot symptoms of spruce stamps were noticed in two out of ten wood samples and the broad extent of rot in their inner parts was indicative of the disease having developed over a very long time. The genetic study with DNA-specific markers confirmed that 20% of the investigated Norway spruce materials were infected with H. annosum (s. str.) and H. parviporum. Other samples rather showed wood rot caused by saprotrophic wood-decaying fungi. The above data validated the decision to remove what were indeed shown to be diseased trees.
Słowa kluczowe
Root rot; DNA identification; PCR; Wood-decay fungi.