However, the findings also indicate that juniper trees varied in their ability to resist different strains of the pathogen. “However, what we’re seeing is that resistance, or partial resistance, to one strain of Phytophthora austrocedri doesn’t necessarily mean resistance to another. The researchers carried out two inoculation experiments to determine if resistance to Phytophthora austrocedri was a heritable trait and whether juniper populations have the potential to adapt to the pathogen over time. These were then infected with six different strains of Phytophthora austrocedri in the lab and the lesions caused by the pathogen measured. The sibling trees were grown for six years and infected with a highly virulent strain of Phytophthora austrocedri.