Effect of Light Conditions on the Resistance of Current-year Fagus Crenata Seedlings Against Fungal Pathogens Causing Damping-off in a Natural Beech Forest: Fungus Isolation and Histological and Chemical Resistance

Forest gap dynamics affects light intensity on the forest floor, which in turn may influence defense and survival of tree seedlings. Current-year Fagus crenata seedlings show high mortality under the canopy caused by damping-off. In contrast, they survive pathogen attacks in gaps. However, defense mechanisms against damping-off have not been fully understood. In order to determine the resistance factors that affect mortality in current-year seedlings, we compared seedling survival and chemical and histological characteristics of the hypocotyls of seedlings from closed-stand and forest-edge plots. Damping-off occurred in the current-year seedlings mainly from the end of June to July; survival rate of the seedlings was higher in the forest-edge plot than in the closed-stand plot. By performing an inoculation test on the seedling hypocotyls, we identified Colletotrichum dematium and Cylindrocarpon sp. as the causative pathogens under low illumination only. In the beginning of July, only seedling hypocotyls from the forest-edge plot exhibited periderm formation. From mid-June to July, seedling hypocotyls from the forest-edge plot accumulated approximately twice the amount of total phenols as those accumulated by seedling hypocotyls from the closed-stand plot. The ethyl acetate phase of methanol extracts of hypocotyls showed antifungal activity. We conclude that seedlings from the forest-edge plot may resist pathogenic attack via periderm formation and increased phenol synthesis. Plant defense mechanisms that are controlled by light intensity may be important for promoting seedling regeneration in forest gap dynamics.