Relationship of Root Starch to Decline of Sugar Maple. J. E. Carroll, Shade Tree Laboratories, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003. T. A. Tattar, Shade Tree Laboratories, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, and P. M. Wargo, USDA Forest Service, 51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, CT 06514. Plant Dis. 67:1347-1349. Accepted for publication 13 June 1983. Copyright 1983 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-67-1347.

Starch content of roots of streetside sugar maples (Acer saccharum) was scored visually on the basis of intensity of staining of xylem sections treated with I₂-KI. A significant relationship occurred between root starch content in autumn and decline symptoms; trees with declining crowns had the least starch. More trees with low or depleted starch supplies decline in crown condition than trees with moderate or high starch. This technique, used as an indicator of tree health, may be useful for detecting early stages of decline.