diff --git a/core/blockchain_test.go b/core/blockchain_test.go
index 62036ae75..3f6494038 100644
--- a/core/blockchain_test.go
+++ b/core/blockchain_test.go
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ func TestReorgLongHeaders(t *testing.T) { testReorgLong(t, false) }
 func TestReorgLongBlocks(t *testing.T)  { testReorgLong(t, true) }
 
 func testReorgLong(t *testing.T, full bool) {
-	testReorg(t, []int64{0, 0, -9}, []int64{0, 0, 0, -9}, 393280, full)
+	testReorg(t, []int64{0, 0, -9}, []int64{0, 0, 0, -9}, 393280+params.GenesisDifficulty.Int64(), full)
 }
 
 // Tests that reorganising a short difficult chain after a long easy one
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ func testReorgShort(t *testing.T, full bool) {
 	for i := 0; i < len(diff); i++ {
 		diff[i] = -9
 	}
-	testReorg(t, easy, diff, 12615120, full)
+	testReorg(t, easy, diff, 12615120+params.GenesisDifficulty.Int64(), full)
 }
 
 func testReorg(t *testing.T, first, second []int64, td int64, full bool) {
diff --git a/core/genesis.go b/core/genesis.go
index 38ace4920..af3624747 100644
--- a/core/genesis.go
+++ b/core/genesis.go
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ func (g *Genesis) Commit(db ethdb.Database) (*types.Block, error) {
 	if config.Clique != nil && len(block.Extra()) == 0 {
 		return nil, errors.New("can't start clique chain without signers")
 	}
-	rawdb.WriteTd(db, block.Hash(), block.NumberU64(), g.Difficulty)
+	rawdb.WriteTd(db, block.Hash(), block.NumberU64(), block.Difficulty())
 	rawdb.WriteBlock(db, block)
 	rawdb.WriteReceipts(db, block.Hash(), block.NumberU64(), nil)
 	rawdb.WriteCanonicalHash(db, block.Hash(), block.NumberU64())
diff --git a/core/genesis_test.go b/core/genesis_test.go
index 055be2796..056c1c195 100644
--- a/core/genesis_test.go
+++ b/core/genesis_test.go
@@ -209,3 +209,33 @@ func TestGenesisHashes(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGenesis_Commit(t *testing.T) {
+	genesis := &Genesis{
+		BaseFee: big.NewInt(params.InitialBaseFee),
+		Config:  params.TestChainConfig,
+		// difficulty is nil
+	}
+
+	db := rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()
+	genesisBlock, err := genesis.Commit(db)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if genesis.Difficulty != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("assumption wrong")
+	}
+
+	// This value should have been set as default in the ToBlock method.
+	if genesisBlock.Difficulty().Cmp(params.GenesisDifficulty) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("assumption wrong: want: %d, got: %v", params.GenesisDifficulty, genesisBlock.Difficulty())
+	}
+
+	// Expect the stored total difficulty to be the difficulty of the genesis block.
+	stored := rawdb.ReadTd(db, genesisBlock.Hash(), genesisBlock.NumberU64())
+
+	if stored.Cmp(genesisBlock.Difficulty()) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("inequal difficulty; stored: %v, genesisBlock: %v", stored, genesisBlock.Difficulty())
+	}
+}
diff --git a/les/fetcher_test.go b/les/fetcher_test.go
index ef700651e..a922ab0f8 100644
--- a/les/fetcher_test.go
+++ b/les/fetcher_test.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/rawdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p/enode"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/params"
 )
 
 // verifyImportEvent verifies that one single event arrive on an import channel.
@@ -247,7 +248,7 @@ func testInvalidAnnounces(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
 	// Prepare announcement by latest header.
 	headerOne := s.backend.Blockchain().GetHeaderByNumber(1)
 	hash, number := headerOne.Hash(), headerOne.Number.Uint64()
-	td := big.NewInt(200) // bad td
+	td := big.NewInt(params.GenesisDifficulty.Int64() + 200) // bad td
 
 	// Sign the announcement if necessary.
 	announce := announceData{hash, number, td, 0, nil}