X-ray computed tomography for the detection of damage in Scots pine trunks caused by blister-rust fungus Cronartium pini (Willd.)

ABSTRACT

Scots pine blister rust is a damaging fungus in pine forests, and in recent decades the disease has become a severe problem in Northern Fennoscandian Peninsula and makes the use of Scots pine wood as sawn timber problematic. The present study shows that it is possible to use X-ray computed tomography (CT) to detect blister-rust infection and damage caused by the fungus in green Scots pine trunks. Such damage is evidenced in the CT images as a reduction in moisture content and an increase in resin deposition in the green sapwood. The trunk cross-section may also be deformed as an effect of the infection. The heartwood has, however, image characteristics similar to those of the infected regions, and dedicated image-analysis algorithms are required for separation. Given the development of such algorithms, X-ray CT can become a powerful tool for blister-rust detection and further grading of sawn timber.

KEYWORDS:

• Wood
• resin
• rust diseases
• sawmilling
• grading
• image analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Gunnar Hedlunds Hedersfond through Norras Forskningsstiftelse [grant number 2021:03].