摘要：We examined nursery seedling quality and 1-yr feld
performance of American chestnut [Castanea dentata
(Marshall) Borkh.] seedlings planted in Alabama (AL
study) and Tennessee (TN study). Root-collar diameter
(RCD) had the highest correlations to nursery seedling
quality and frst-year feld performance for both studies.
Survival was low in the Alabama study (18 percent)
due to ink disease, caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi,
and rabbit damage. Seedling growth was not affected by
genetic family in either study, and seedling size class and
silvicultural treatment did not affect growth at the AL site.
On the TN site, survival was 86 percent; relative height
and diameter growth were negatively related to nursery
height, indicating planting shock was a factor. Restoration
of blight-resistant American chestnut will depend on early
establishment success, which can be affected by factors
not easily controlled.
