The culture of the chestnut tree is extremely important in the northern region of Portugal, occupying a significant proportion of useful agricultural area. The annual average chestnut production in Portugal can reach 20 000 tons. New plantation areas have increased in the last few decades. However the ink disease caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi has damage and killed many trees and up to now no concrete solutions have been offered to control the illness. As a consequence, the disease propagation in the orchards of chestnut trees has been causing severe productivity and yield breaks. tn addition to the economical losses, the importance of sociological and landscape aspects for the region cannot be neglected.