Resistance of Pitch × Loblolly Pine Hybrids to Fusiform Rust (Cronartium quercuum f. sp. fusiforme). Peter W. Garrett, Principal Forest Geneticist, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Durham, NH 03824. I. Frederick Trew, Research Forester, Westvaco, Crozet, VA 22932. Plant Dis. 70:564-565. Accepted for publication 26 November 1985. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1986. DOI: 10.1094/PD-70-564.

Hybrid seedlings of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) × loblolly pine (P. taeda) were inoculated with the fusiform rust pathogen (Cronartium quercuum f. sp. fusiforme). The incidence of rust infection in three groups of hybrids was significantly less than in susceptible or resistant loblolly pine check groups. Resistant hybrids may be useful for areas of the midsouth where freezing temperatures and/or rust produce unacceptable damage to loblolly pines.