Spatio-temporal patterns of pre-harvest brown rot epidemics within individual peach tree canopies

Tree canopies are architecturally complex and pose several challenges for measuring and characterizing spatial patterns of disease. Recently developed methods for fine-scale canopy mapping and three-dimensional spatial pattern analysis were applied in a 3-year study to characterize spatio-temporal development of pre-harvest brown rot of peach, caused by Monilinia fructicola, in 13 trees of different maturity classes. We observed a negative correlation between an index of disease aggregation and disease incidence in the same tree (r?=??0.653, P?<?0.0001), showing that trees with higher brown rot incidence had lower aggregation of affected fruit in their canopies. Significant (P?≤?0.05) within-canopy aggregation among symptomatic fruit was most pronounced for early-maturing cultivars and/or early in the epidemic. This is consistent with the notion of a greater importance of localized, within-tree sources of inoculum at the beginning of the epidemic. Four of five trees having >10 blossom blight symptoms per tree showed a significant positive spatial association of pre-harvest fruit rot to blossom blight within the same canopy. Spatial association analyses further revealed one of two outcomes for the association of new fruit rot symptoms with previous fruit rot symptoms in the same tree, whereby the relationship was either not significant or exhibited a significant negative association. In the latter scenario, the newly diseased fruit were farther apart from previously symptomatic fruit than expected by random chance. This unexpected result could have been due to uneven fruit ripening in different sectors of the canopy, which could have affected the timing of symptom development and thus led to negative spatial associations among symptoms developing over time in a tree.     

Increase and Patterns of Spread of Citrus Tristeza Virus Infections in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic in the Presence of the Brown Citrus Aphid, Toxoptera citricida

ABSTRACT Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) was monitored for 4 years by monoclonal antibody probes via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in four citrus orchards in northern Costa Rica and four orchards in the Dominican Republic following the introduction of the brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida. The Gompertz nonlinear model was selected as the most appropriate in most cases to describe temporal increase of CTV. Ordinary runs analysis for association of CTV-positive trees failed to show a spatial relationship of virus status among immediately adjacent trees within or across rows. The beta-binomial index of dispersion for various quadrat sizes suggested aggregations of CTV-positive trees for all plots within the quadrat sizes tested. Spatial autocorrelation analysis of proximity patterns suggested that aggregation often existed among quadrats of various sizes up to four lag distances; however, significant lag positions discontinuous from the main proximity pattern were rare. Some asymmetry was also detected for some spatial autocorrelation proximity patterns. These results were interpreted to mean that, although CTV-positive trees did not often influence immediately adjacent trees, virus transmission was common within a local area of influence that extended two to eight trees in all directions. Where asymmetry was indicated, this area of influence was somewhat elliptical. The spatial and temporal analyses gave some insight into possible underlying processes of CTV spread in the presence of T. citricida and suggested CTV spread was predominantly to trees within a local area. Patterns of longer-distance spread were not detected within the confines of the plot sizes tested. Longer-distance spread probably exists, but may well be of a complexity beyond the detection ability of the spatial analysis methods employed, or perhaps is on a scale larger than the dimensions of the plots studied.     

Spatial and temporal analyses of citrus sudden death as a tool to generate hypotheses concerning its etiology

ABSTRACT Citrus sudden death (CSD), a new disease of unknown etiology that affects sweet orange grafted on Rangpur lime, was visually monitored for 14 months in 41 groves in Brazil. Ordinary runs analysis of CSD-symptomatic trees indicated a departure from randomness of symptomatic trees status among immediately adjacent trees mainly within rows. The binomial index of dispersion (D) and the intraclass correlation (k) for various quadrat sizes suggested aggregation of CSD-symptomatic trees for almost all plots within the quadrat sizes tested. Estimated parameters of the binary form of Taylor's power law provided an overall measure of aggregation of CSD-symptomatic trees for all quadrat sizes tested. Aggregation in each plot was dependent on disease incidence. Spatial autocorrelation analysis of proximity patterns suggested that aggregation often existed among quadrats of various sizes up to three lag distances; however, significant lag positions discontinuous from main proximity patterns were rare, indicating a lack of spatial association among discrete foci. Some asymmetry was also detected for some spatial autocorrelation proximity patterns, indicating that within-row versus across-row distributions are not necessarily equivalent. These results were interpreted to mean that the cause of the disease was most likely biotic and its dissemination was common within a local area of influence that extended to approximately six trees in all directions, including adjacent trees. Where asymmetry was indicated, this area of influence was somewhat elliptical. Longer-distance patterns were not detected within the confines of the plot sizes tested. Annual rates of CSD progress based on the Gompertz model ranged from 0.37 to 2.02. Numerous similarities were found between the spatial patterns of CSD and Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) described in the literature, both in the presence of the aphid vector, Toxoptera citricida. CSD differs from CTV in that symptoms occur in sweet orange grafted on Rangpur lime. Based on the symptoms of CSD and on its spatial and temporal patterns, our hypothesis is that CSD may be caused by a similar but undescribed pathogen such as a virus and probably vectored by insects such as aphids by similar spatial processes to those affecting CTV.     

Quantitative relationships between different injury factors and development of brown rot caused by Monilinia fructigena in integrated and organic apple orchards

In a 4-year study, the incidence of various types of injuries (caused by insects, birds, growth cracks, mechanical wounding, and other, unidentified factors) was assessed in relation to brown rot development (caused by Monilinia fructigena) on fruit of three apple cultivars (Prima, Jonathan, and Mutsu) in integrated and organic blocks of two apple orchards in Hungary. In addition, populations of male codling moths (Cydia pomonella) were monitored with pheromone traps season-long in both management systems. On average, injury incidence on fruit at harvest was 6.1 and 19.2% in the integrated and organic treatments, respectively. Insect injury, which was caused primarily by C. pomonella, had the highest incidence among the five injury types, accounting for 79.4% of the total injury by harvest in the organic blocks and 36.6% in the integrated blocks. Levels of all other injury types remained close to zero during most of the season, but the incidence of bird injury and growth cracks increased markedly in the final 3 to 5 weeks before harvest in both production systems. Brown rot developed more slowly and reached a lower incidence in the integrated (6.4% final incidence on average) compared with the organic blocks (20.1% average incidence). In addition, the disease developed later but attained higher levels as the cultivar ripening season increased from early-maturing Prima to late-maturing Mutsu. Overall, 94.3 to 98.7% of all injured fruit were also infected by M. fructigena, whereas the incidence of brown-rotted fruit without visible injury was very low (0.8 to 1.6%). Correlation coefficients (on a per plot basis) and association indices (on a per-fruit basis) were calculated between brown rot and the various injury types for two selected assessment dates 4 weeks preharvest and at harvest. At both dates, the strongest significant (P < 0.05) relationships were observed between brown rot and insect injury and between brown rot and the cumulative number of trapped C. pomonella. At the harvest assessment, two additional significant correlations were between brown rot and bird injury and between brown rot and growth cracks. In every case, correlation coefficients were larger in organic than in integrated blocks. Although it is well established that brown rot in pome fruits is closely associated with fruit injuries, this is the first study to provide season-long progress data on different injury types and quantitative analyses of their relative importance at different times in the growing season and across two distinct management systems.     

Field occurrence of vinclozolin resistance in Monilinia fructicola

Strains of Monilinia fructicola resistant to vinclozolin were isolated from fruit affected by brown rot from an orchard where the fungicide had been used over four seasons. Resistant isolates were pathogenic to peach fruit, and resistance of one isolate was confirmed following dipping of inoculated fruit in fungicide suspensions. In culture, one of four resistant isolates was identical in colony morphology and sporulation to sensitive isolates from different geographic areas. The other resistant isolates produced dark mycelium on PDA and were slower growing. Vinclozolin-resistant isolates were resistant in vitro to two other dicarboximide fungicides, iprodione and procymidone.     

核果类果树褐腐病在重庆的发生与防治初报

近年随着乡村产业调整和果业发展, 褐腐病在我国的发生呈加重趋势。本文对重庆地区核果类果树褐腐病的发生状况做了调查分析, 在室内通过平板及离体果实试验, 筛选拮抗菌和化学药剂, 为田间防治实践提供科学依据。主要结果如下:桃褐腐病在重庆普遍发生, 核果类果树均易感, 病原菌经鉴定为果生链核盘菌Monilinia fructicola; 系统调查初步分析发现, 降雨时间与李褐腐病发生发展关系最密切, 其与病情指数增幅的相关系数R=0.94(P<0.05); 平板对峙和离体桃果筛选, 获得2株有生防潜力的放线菌YLS5-2和YYDB3-1, 二者的抑菌率分别为91.3%和84.5%, 相对防效分别为65.1%和67.1%, 可能具有较好的应用前景; 平板毒力测定和离体桃果控病试验, 效果最优的化学药剂分别为戊唑醇、苯甲·丙环唑, 其中戊唑醇在推荐浓度处理96 h其离体果实防效仍维持在100%水平。     

Characterization of Phytophthora spp. Causing Outbreaks of Citrus Brown Rot in Florida

ABSTRACT Epidemics of citrus brown rot from 1994 to 1997 in the south-central and east-coast citrus areas of Florida were characterized and the causal Phytophthora spp. identified. Two species of Phytophthora, P. palmivora and P. nicotianae, were consistently associated with brown rot. Epidemics caused by P. palmivora appeared to be initiated on immature fruit dropped on the orchard floor. The soilborne fungus infected and sporulated on these fruit and was then disseminated to fruit above 1 m in the canopy. In contrast, infection by P. nicotianae, the common cause of root rot, was confined to the lowest 1 m of the canopy. Fruit infected by P. palmivora produced large amounts of ellipsoidal sporangia available for splash dispersal, whereas those infected by P. nicotianae produced far fewer spherical sporangia. Isolates from brown rot epidemics were compared with P. nicotianae from citrus in Florida and Texas, P. citrophthora in California, P. palmivora, and selected Phytophthora spp. from other hosts. Brown rot symptoms produced by the different pathogenic citrus isolates on inoculated fruit were indistinguishable. Morphology, mating behavior, and isozyme patterns of brown rot isolates from 1988 to 1997 matched P. palmivora from citrus roots, other host plants, and other locations, but were different from characterized isolates of P. citrophthora in California and P. nicotianae in Florida and Texas. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis of the isozyme glucose-6-phosphate isomerase rapidly identified the causal citrus pathogen from infected fruit and soil isolation plates. Although P. palmivora is an aggressive pathogen of citrus roots, bark, and fruit, populations in orchard soils were low compared with P. nicotianae.     

桃褐腐病菌抗药性分子机理研究进展

桃褐腐病是严重危害桃生产的重要病害之一。在实际生产中,该病害的控制主要以化学防治为主。由于杀菌剂的大量使用,桃褐腐病菌已对几类常用的杀菌剂产生了不同程度的抗药性。本文就桃褐腐病菌(Moniliniaspp.)对生产上使用的几大类杀菌剂的抗药性情况及抗药性分子机制研究进展进行简单概述和分析,以供国内同行借鉴与参考。     

Temporal development and relationship amongst brown rot blossom blight,fruit blight and fruit rot in integrated and organic sour cherry orchards

The aim of this 4‐year study was to characterize temporal development of brown rot blossom blight and fruit blight (caused by Monilinia spp.) and their sporulating areas in sour cherry orchards; and to determine the relationships amongst incidence and sporulating area of blossom blight, fruit blight and fruit rot. The study was performed in integrated and organic orchard blocks on two cultivars (Újfehértói fürtös and Érdi b?term?). On both cultivars, disease progress on flowers and fruits was 2–10 times slower in the integrated than in the organic management system. The peak incidence values were 9 and 31 days after petal fall for blossom blight and fruit blight, respectively. After these dates, no new blight symptoms on flowers and/or fruits appeared and the disease was levelling off. Final blossom blight incidence ranged from 1 to 5% and from 12 to 34%, and fruit rot incidence from 2 to 6% and from 11 to 26% in the integrated and the organic orchards, respectively. The sum of fruit blight incidence ranged from 9 to 22% for the organic system, but was below 5% for the integrated system, while the final sporulating area was 5–16 mm² and <3 mm², respectively. Among the five highest Pearson's correlation coefficients, relationships between blossom blight and early fruit blight stage (r = 0·845, P = 0·0087 integrated; r = 0·901, P = 0·0015 organic), and between sporulating area and fruit rot (r = 0791, P = 0·0199 integrated; r = 0·874, P = 0·0039 organic) were the most significant relationships from an epidemic standpoint as they indicated a connection between different brown rot symptom types.     

Quantification of airborne spores of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monilinia fructicola</Emphasis> in stone fruit orchards of California using real-time PCR

The fungal pathogen Monilinia fructicola causes blossom blight and fruit brown rot of stone fruits in California. In this study, spore densities in the air were monitored in six orchard/year combinations with Burkard spore traps. A real-time PCR assay was developed to efficiently quantify the dynamics of spore density in these orchards during the growing season. Different patterns of dynamics of spore density were observed in these orchards. A linear relationship between numbers of spores counted with a compound microscope and those determined with the real-time PCR assay was obtained, using the same samples of spore traps. Spore density in five of six orchard/year combinations ranged from 0.0 to 0.05 spores l⁻¹, except for that in orchard 4, which showed much higher values of spore density in the air, as well as higher values and wider range of incidences of blossom infection and fruit rot than those in the other orchards. The results demonstrated a potential method to quantitatively determine spore inoculum potential in orchards by using a real-time PCR assay.     

海南芒果蒂腐病菌对吡唑醚菌酯的抗药性测定

从海南芒果主产区采集分离蒂腐病菌Botryodiplodia theobromae。首先采用区分剂量法检测供试菌株对吡唑醚菌酯的抗药性,然后再采用生长速率法测定吡唑醚菌酯对蒂腐病菌的EC_(50)。结果表明:95株芒果蒂腐病菌中有56株在含10mg/L吡唑醚菌酯的PDA培养基中菌落直径大于空白对照的40%,抗性频率为58.95%,来自不同产区的芒果蒂腐病菌对吡唑醚菌酯的抗性频率差异不大。吡唑醚菌酯对供试菌株的EC50在3.12~1525.43mg/L之间,呈连续性正态分布,而抗性最高的菌株的EC_(50)是最敏感菌株EC50的488.92倍。敏感菌株、低抗菌株、中抗菌株及高抗菌株的平均EC_(50)分别为:5.39mg/L、45.34mg/L、144.72mg/L和514.46mg/L。海南芒果蒂腐病菌对吡唑醚菌酯杀菌剂已经产生严重的抗药性。     

Occurrence of Monilinia laxa and M. fructigena after introduction of M. fructicola in peach orchards in Spain

Seventeen field surveys were done in four commercial orchards during six consecutive fruit-growing seasons from 2006 until 2011 in order to determine the current frequencies of occurrence of M. laxa, M. fructigena, and M. fructicola and their relative contributions to postharvest brown rot in peaches and nectarines in the Ebro Valley. The relative frequencies of occurrence of Monilinia spp. were determined on three sources of primary inoculum and on three sources of secondary inoculum. The major relative frequencies of Monilinia spp. were significantly recorded (P?=?0.05) from mummified fruit on the trees (approx. 42 %) and 7-day-old harvested fruit with brown rot (32 %), followed by that recovered from mummified fruit on the orchard bed (14 %), pruned branches on the orchard bed (8 %) and latent infections of immature fruit (3 %). We found that: (a) the relative frequency of M. fructicola has increased over the years to coexist on the same level as at the time M. laxa, (b) M. fructigena is no longer a cause of brown rot in harvested peaches, (c), a progressive reduction in the time of the first appearance of Monilinia airborne conidia (r?=??0.30, P?=?0.003), and the time of the first latent infection (r?=??0.44, P?=?0.0001) was detected along years after correlation analysis, and (d) these displacements are not associated with an increased incidence of brown rot disease. The M. fructicola increase was due to its significantly increased presence in 7-day-old harvested fruit with brown rot (r?=?0.73, P?=?0.0009), in latent infections of immature fruit (r?=?0.68, P?=?0.002), on pruned branches on the orchard bed (r?=?0.56, P?=?0.018), and on mummified fruit sampled on the trees (r?=?0.53, P?=?0.03). This progressive increase was accompanied by a progressive reduction in the relative frequency of occurrence of M. laxa in 7-day-old harvested fruit with brown rot (r?=??0.55, P?=?0.021) and M. fructigena on mummified fruit sampled on the trees (r?=??0.51, P?=?0.03).     

Spatial patterns of leprosis and its mite vector in commercial citrus groves in Brazil

In order to describe the dissemination of Citrus leprosis virus (CiLV) and Brevipalpus phoenicis , the Tenuipalpidae mite which transmits it, as well as to generate data for future development of better sampling and disease control procedures, analyses were conducted at three levels of spatial hierarchy. Over 100 distribution maps of mite-infested plants and plants with CiLV symptoms were constructed after evaluation of 174 sweet orange commercial grove blocks from four citrus regions of São Paulo State, Brazil. Spatial correlation between maps of mite-infested plants and those with CiLV symptoms was very low and mostly not significant. Spatial dependency between adjacent plants was incipient as ordinary runs analysis showed that percentages of aggregated sequences within or across rows were very low for both mite-infested and diseased plants. Index of dispersion ( D ) values for all quadrat sizes suggested aggregation of plants with symptoms within quadrats, but much less aggregation for mite-infested plants. Values of log( A ) and b were higher than 0 and 1, respectively, indicating a general and significant aggregation of infested/diseased plants inside quadrats. However, the degree of aggregation of plants with symptoms was higher than that of infested plants. Aggregation in each grove was positively correlated to the incidence of infested/diseased plants. Spatial autocorrelation also showed a higher strength of aggregation for plants with symptoms than for infested ones. This is the first time that spatial patterns of leprosis and B. phoenicis have been described.     

小麦细菌性叶鞘褐腐病及其病原鉴定

为搞清杭州小麦上一新发生病害的病原，从病区获得6份小麦病株样本的症状，经初步的植物细菌学特性分析，鉴定为细菌病害。6个分离细菌经32项生理生化反应、茵落形态、致病性、Biolog、脂肪酸分析及与6个标准菌株比较，证实了这种小麦叶鞘褐腐病是由Pseudomonasfuscovaginae．,Miyajima，Tanii＆Akita引起，与水稻细菌性叶鞘褐腐病为同一病原。     

Spatiotemporal analysis of spread of infections by Verticillium dahliae pathotypes within a high tree density olive orchard in southern Spain

The development of Verticillium wilt epidemics in olive cv. Arbequina was studied from November 1999 to May 2003 in a drip-irrigated, nontillage orchard established in a soil without a history of the disease at Córdoba, southern Spain. Disease incidence measured at 1-month-intervals increased from 0.2 to 7.8% during this period. Verticillium dahliae infecting the trees was characterized as defoliating (D) or nondefoliating (ND) pathotypes by a specific, multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Of the symptomatic trees, 87.2 and 12.8% were infected by the D or ND pathotypes, respectively. Dynamics of disease incidence were described by a generalized logistic model with a multiple sigmoid pattern. In the fitted model, the infection rate was highest in the winter to spring period and decreased to minimum values in the summer to fall period. Binary data of disease incidence was analyzed for point pattern and spatial correlation, either directly or after parsing them in contiguous quadrats. Overall, ordinary runs analysis indicated a departure from randomness of disease within rows. The binomial index of dispersion, interclass correlation, and Taylor's power law for various quadrat sizes suggested aggregation of diseased trees within the quadrat sizes tested. Spatial analysis by distance indices showed a nonrandom arrangement of quadrats containing infected trees. Spatial pattern was characterized by the occurrence of several clusters of infected trees. Increasing clustering over time was generally suggested by stronger values of clustering index over time and by the increase in the size of patch clusters. Significant spatial association was found in the clustering of diseased trees over time across cropping seasons; however, clustering was significant only for infections by D V. dahliae, indicating that infections by the D pathotype were aggregated around initial infections. The number and size of clusters of D V. dahliae-infected trees increased over time. Microsatellite-primed PCR assays of a representative number of V. dahliae isolates from diseased trees indicated that the majority of infecting D isolates shared the fingerprinting profile with D V. dahliae isolated from soil of a naturally infested cotton field in close proximity to the orchard, suggesting that short distance dispersal of the pathogen from this soil to the olive orchard may have occurred.     

Monitoring conidial density of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monilinia fructigena</Emphasis> in the air in relation to brown rot development in integrated and organic apple orchards

In a three-year Hungarian study, conidial density of Monilinia fructigena in the air determined from mid-May until harvest was related to brown rot disease progress in integrated and organic apple orchards. Conidia of M. fructigena were first trapped in late May in both orchards in all years. Number of conidial density greatly increased after the appearance of first infected fruit, from early July in the organic and from early August in the integrated orchard. Conidial number continuously increased until harvest in both orchards. Final brown rot incidence reached 4.3–6.6% and 19.8–24.5% in the integrated and organic orchards, respectively. Disease incidence showed a significant relationship with corresponding cumulative numbers of trapped conidia both in integrated and organic orchards, and was described by separate three-parameter Gompertz functions for the two orchards. Time series analyses, using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models, revealed that the temporal patterns of the number of airborne conidia was similar in all years in both integrated and organic orchards. Conidia caught over a 24-h period showed distinct diurnal periodicity, with peak spore density occurring in the afternoon between 13.00 and 18.00. Percent viability of M. fructigena conidia ranged from 48.8 to 70.1% with lower viability in dry compared to wet days in both orchards and all years. Temperature and relative humidity correlated best with mean hourly conidial catches in both integrated and organic apple orchards in each year. Correlations between aerial spore density and wind speed were significant only in the organic orchard over the 3-year period. Mean hourly rainfall was negatively but poorly correlated with mean hourly conidial catches. Results were compared and discussed with previous observations.     

中国柑橘黑腐病和褐斑病病原菌的系统发育分析

近些年链格孢属真菌的分类有了长足的进展,但柑橘褐斑病和黑腐病的病原却还是存在着一些争议。本研究从中国柑橘果实上收集了49株黑腐病菌菌株,并选取了8株从柑橘叶片上分离的具代表性的褐斑病菌菌株,基于Alta1、endoPG、LSU、OPA10-2、OPAl-3和OPA2-1等6个基因位点串联序列构建系统发育树。结果表明,柑橘黑腐病和褐斑病都可由不止一种链格孢菌引起,均以Alternaria alternata为主。两种病害的病原菌之间不能通过该系统发育树区分,但在致病性上存在差异,且能通过扩增ACT毒素合成基因进行区分。为了使两种病害的病原更加方便阐述,作者建议以它们的主要类群对其进行命名,柑橘褐斑病病原学名还是遵循前人的称呼,为the tangerine pathotype of A.alternata,即链格孢菌橘致病型,而柑橘黑腐病病原应为A.alternata,即链格孢菌。     

中国柑橘黑腐病和褐斑病病原菌的系统发育分析

 近些年链格孢属真菌的分类有了长足的进展,但柑橘褐斑病和黑腐病的病原却还是存在着一些争议。本研究从中国柑橘果实上收集了49株黑腐病菌菌株,并选取了8株从柑橘叶片上分离的具代表性的褐斑病菌菌株,基于Alta1 、endoPG、LSU、OPA10-2、OPAl-3和OPA2-1 等6个基因位点串联序列构建系统发育树。结果表明,柑橘黑腐病和褐斑病都可由不止一种链格孢菌引起,均以Alternaria alternata为主。两种病害的病原菌之间不能通过该系统发育树区分,但在致病性上存在差异,且能通过扩增ACT毒素合成基因进行区分。为了使两种病害的病原更加方便阐述,作者建议以它们的主要类群对其进行命名,柑橘褐斑病病原学名还是遵循前人的称呼,为the tangerine pathotype of A. alternata,即链格孢菌橘致病型,而柑橘黑腐病病原应为A. alternata,即链格孢菌。     

Spatiotemporal relationships between disease development and airborne inoculum in unmanaged and managed Botrytis leaf blight epidemics

Comparatively little quantitative information is available on both the spatial and temporal relationships that develop between airborne inoculum and disease intensity during the course of aerially spread epidemics. Botrytis leaf blight and Botrytis squamosa airborne inoculum were analyzed over space and time during 2 years (2002 and 2004) in a nonprotected experimental field, using a 6 x 8 lattice of quadrats of 10 x 10 m each. A similar experiment was conducted in 2004 and 2006 in a commercial field managed for Botrytis leaf blight using a 5 x 5 lattice of quadrats of 25 x 25 m each. Each quadrat was monitored weekly for lesion density (LD) and aerial conidium concentration (ACC). The adjustment of the Taylor's power law showed that heterogeneity in both LD and ACC generally increased with increasing mean. Unmanaged epidemics were characterized in either year, with aggregation indices derived from SADIE (Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices). For LD, the aggregation indices suggested a random pattern of disease early in the season, followed by an aggregated pattern in the second part of the epidemic. The index of aggregation for ACC in 2002 was significantly greater than 1 at only one date, while it was significantly greater than 1 at most sampling dates in 2004. In both years and for both variables, positive trends in partial autocorrelation were observed mainly for a spatial lag of 1. In 2002, the overall pattern of partial autocorrelations over sampling dates was similar for LD and ACC with no significant partial autocorrelation during the first part of the epidemic, followed by a period with significant positive autocorrelation, and again no autocorrelation on the last three sampling dates. In 2004, there was no significant positive autocorrelation for LD at most sampling dates while for ACC, there was a fluctuation between significant and non-significant positive correlation over sampling dates. There was a significant spatial correlation between ACC at given date (t(i)) and LD 1 week later (t(i + 1)) on most sampling dates in both 2002 and 2004 for the unmanaged and managed sites. It was concluded that LD and ACC were not aggregated in the early stage of epidemics, when both disease intensity and airborne conidia concentration were low. This was supported by the analysis of LD and ACC from a commercial field, where managed levels of disease were low, and where no aggregation of both variables was detected. It was further concluded that a reliable monitoring of airborne inoculum for management of Botrytis leaf blight is achievable in managed fields using few spore samplers per field.