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Home → Publications → Seed and Seedling Diseases in the Western US → Containerized Western Larch Seedling Mortality, USDA Forest Service Nursery, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

Containerized Western Larch Seedling Mortality, USDA Forest Service Nursery, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

Western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) is one of the most important reforestation species in the Northern Region. In order to meet demands for seedlings, two crops of containerized stock are produced annually at the USDA Forest Service Nursery in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The first (spring) crop must be sown as early as February in order to produce two successive crops during the growing season. During the spring crop of 1987, shortly after seedling emergence, widespread mortality became evident in several seedlots of western larch at the nursery. There was also an unusually high number of empty cells, indicating poor seed germination. Although some damping-off normally occurs in most crops, levels were unusually high for the spring larch crop. Affected seedlings were treated with captan, which is normally used to reduce losses from damping-off. However, treatments were not effective because they were made after most of the mortality became evident. Growers indicated that most mortality occurred over a few days and continued losses after that time were not extensive.


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Author(s): USDA Forest Service