Blister rust in maritime pine

Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) seedlings from four stands of central Italy were inoculated with a suspension of 75,000 basidiospores/ml. Significant differences among the stands were found for the following traits: percentages between nonspotted and inoculated seedlings; and percentages between seedlings with spermagonia of Cronartium flaccidum and spotted seedlings. Genetic variation in blister rust resistance among the stands and among the families within a stand confirms the validity of the idea to select the stands which are exposed to heavy rust infection and then within the selected stands to choose trees able to supply the highest possible number of nonspotted seedlings and seedlings with needle spots but without spermagonia.