Treating ash seeds with hot water may kill Chalara infection

Immersing ash seeds in 44 °C water for 5 hours may eradicate Chalara infection in ash seeds without significantly reducing the viability of the seeds. Forest Research scientists have published the results of this trial in Quarterly Journal of Forestry. Batches of ash fruits were subjected to hot-water treatments at 32, 36, 40 and 44 °C for 1, 2 and 5 hours respectively. Further trials will be required to validate this method but hot-water treatment might provide a new management tool, enabling disease-free plants to be raised from ash fruits collected from disease-affected areas.

Read Hot-water treatment as a possible method for eradicating Chalara fraxinea (Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus) infection from ash fruits (Fraxinus excelsior L).

Quarterly Journal of Forestry 109, 18-23.

Shelagh A. McCartan, Joan F. Webber and Richard L. Jinks. (2015)