Cryphonectria parasitica

Here are some good places to start your investigation into the chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica)

General Information about Chestnut Blight

Good information about the blight - identification, distribution, benefits, control, threats, taxonomy

Forest Pathology of Chestnut Blight

A good introduction to pathology and the chestnut blight. Site is maintained by USDA Forest Service Plant Pathologist James Worrall.

Life Cycle of Chestnut Blight

PDF document, 132.8 KB

Diagram of the life cycle of the blight. 150kb pdf. I don't know where this file came from. If you do, please let me know!!

Control of Chestnut Blight

Some information on the history of trying to control the disease and basic methods of control

Alcohol-treated cankers

Cankers that have been treated with 91% alcohol.

Soil compress article

PDF document, 347.4 KB

A preliminary report on a method of biological control of the chestnut blight not involving the use of a hypovirulent strain of Endothia parasitica. 1992.

Chestnut Blight - Introduction into the US

Historical information from Dr. Sandra Anagnostakis at the Connecticut Agricultual Experimental Station

Powerpoint Presentation about Chestnut Blight

Microsoft PowerPoint

This PowerPoint presentation is hosted by the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. (2MB PPT)

The Cause of Chestnut Blight - Cryphonectria parasitica

Web site by Tom Volk, professor of Biology at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Tracking the Chestnut Blight

An article by Bill Lord detailing most prominently the work of plant hunter Frank N. Meyer, his explorations about China during the early 20th Century, and his thoughts on both finding the blight on chestnuts in China and how to possibly control the blight in America.

Ban Li - Chestnut Blight in China

PDF document, 48.2 KB

For more information on the blight as seen first-hand in China, check out Ban Li, which is Chinese for "chestnut". The article below is a partial translation by Chengguo Wang of the Northwestern College of Forestry in Shaanxi. The original Chinese text was drawn up in 1979 for use within Chinese production areas. Only parts of the text were translated.