Trees being destroyed by disease could be saved by breakthrough discovery

A pandemic spreading across Europe and affecting some of Britain’s most ecologically important trees could be over as scientists develop a rapid method of growing disease-resistant ash trees.

Ash dieback, a fungus that inhibits water transport in ash trees, was first confirmed in Britain in 2012. The Woodland Trust estimates that the UK could lose up to 80 per cent of its ash population as a result; This makes the epidemic one of the most severe epidemics of modern times.

Despite the extent of the loss, a small population of ash trees persists, and scientists are working to grow more resilient seeds.

Researchers at the John Innes Center in Norwich have now developed a rapid method for growing disease-resistant ash. This means that a process that can take up to six years in nature now takes only about a week in the laboratory.

The rapid seed germination method has already produced more than 2,000 seedlings for trials and research.

It has been welcomed by the international research community and, with adaptations, can be adopted by landowners, conservation volunteers and keen gardeners.

John Innes Center investigator and first author of the study, Dr. Elizabeth Orton said: “Ash seed usually takes two to three years to germinate in the wild and we have reduced this time to about a week in the laboratory.

“We quickly produced hundreds of saplings for trial purposes, for our seed garden or for planting in nature.”

“We’ve had a lot of interest from both other researchers and stakeholders who want to help restore ash populations,” he added.

“One of our next steps is to develop a kitchen method that will enable people to do this at home, using ingredients you can buy online, such as household bleach and agar, to treat the seeds as part of the process.”

Specified method study published in Scandinavian Journal of Forest ResearchIt involves carefully removing the embryo from the seed coat using a knife and tweezers and placing it on a nutrient agar jelly to give this slow starter a helping hand.

This process bypasses the seed’s natural dormancy, which normally requires a cycle of hot and cold conditions.

In about two weeks, the seedlings are ready to be composted; After ten months in the greenhouse, they can be planted outdoors.

Dr Orton added: “Climate change means pests and pathogens are establishing themselves in previously inhospitable places, and the movement of infected timber and horticultural material means we are in a race to protect keystone species such as ash.

“With this model, we can restore natural resistance much more quickly, not only in species such as ash, but also in other species such as elm.”