Biological control ofBotrytis cinerea in residues and flowers of Rose (Rosa hybrida)

Microbial isolates from living petals, petal residues and leaf residues of rose, and from laboratory collections, were evaluated for control ofBotrytis cinerea in rose. In leaf residues artificially infested withB. cinerea, isolates of the filamentous fungiGliocladium roseum, FR136 (unidentified) andTrichoderma inhamatum reduced sporulation of the pathogen by >90%, other filamentous fungi were 25–90% effective, and those of yeasts and bacteria were <50% effective. In artificially inoculated petal residues, no microbe reduced sporulation ofB. cinerea by >75%, but isolates ofCladosporium oxysporum and four yeasts were 51–75% effective, and three filamentous fungi, eight yeasts andBacillus subtilis isolates were 26–50% effective. Isolates ofT. inhamatum, C. oxysporum andG. roseum performed best againstB. cinerea among isolates evaluated in leaf residues naturally infested with the pathogen and indigenous microorganisms. Totals of ten isolates of filamentous fungi (includingC. oxysporum andC. cladosporioides), two of yeasts and five ofBacillus subtilis completely prevented lesion production byB. cinerea in detached petals, and a further six isolates of filamentous fungi (includingG. roseum) and six yeasts were 90–99% effective. Isolates ofC. oxysporum, C. cladosporioides andB. subtilis, the most effective microorganisms againstB. cinerea in flower buds, reduced number of lesions in the range of 42–65% compared with 59–89% for à standard fungicide (vinclozolin). It is suggested that application of leading antagonists Jo living rose leaves and flowers should optimize control of inoculum production byB. cinerea when the tissues die. Optimal biocontrol of lesion production in flower buds requires a better understanding of the microenvironment of petals.     

Survival of dicarboximide-resistant strains ofBotrytis cinerea in plant debris during summer in Israel

Survival- ofBotrytis cinerea was monitored during two summer seasons. Mycelium and conidia were found dead on the surface of plant debris within 2 months of incubation, whereas a high level of viability was detected in thallus of the pathogen which was 1–2 mm inside the dry host tissue. Of the 148 samples of infected senescing cucumber female fruits, 8% survived seven warm months; half of these isolates ofB. cinerea were resistant to dicarboximides (5 (μ/ml iprodione). Of the stems of cucumber infected withB. cinerea in winter, 18% yielded the pathogen at the beginning of the following winter; 15% of the surviving isolates were resistant to dicarboximides. Cucumber seedlings artificially infected byB. cinerea did not yield the pathogen longer than 9 weeks after establishment of infection, even when incubated in the shade. Plant debris with symptoms of gray mold were kept in the shade during the summer; at the beginning of winter it was possible to establish infection ofB. cinerea from the dry debris.     

Biological control ofBotrytis cinerea on tomato stem wounds withTrichoderma harzianum

The effectiveness ofTrichoderma harzianum in suppression of tomato stem rot caused byBotrytis cinerea was examined on tomato stem pieces and on whole plants. Ten days after simultanous inoculation withB. cinerea andT. harzianum, the incidence of infected stem pieces was reduced by 62–84%, the severity of infection by 68–71% and the intensity of sporulation by 87%. Seventeen days after inoculation of wounds on whole plants, the incidence of stem rot was reduced by 50 and 33% at 15 and 26 °C, respectively, and the incidence of rot at leaf scar sites on the main stem was reduced by 60 and 50%, respectively. Simultanous inoculation and pre-inoculation withT. harzianum gave good control ofB. cinerea (50 and 90% disease reduction, 10 days after inoculation). The rate of rotting was not reduced by the biocontrol agent once infection was established. However, sporulation byB. cinerea was specifically reduced on these rotting stem pieces. Temperature had a greater effect than vapour pressure deficit (VPD) on the efficacy of biocontrol. Suppression ofB. cinerea incidence byT. harzianum on stem pieces was significant at 10 °C and higher temperatures up to 26 °C. Control of infection was significantly lower at a VPD of 1.3 kPa (60% reduction), than at VPD<1.06 kPa (90–100% control). Reductions in the severity of stem rotting and the sporulation intensity of grey mould were generally not affected by VPD in the range 0.59–1.06 kPa. Survival ofT. harzianum on stems was affected by both temperature and VPD and was greatest at 10 °C at a low VPD and at 26 ° C at a high VPD.     

Effect of interrupted leaf wetness periods on suppression of sporulation ofBotrytis allii andB. cinerea by antagonists on dead onion leaves

Saprophytic antagonists were evaluated for suppression of sporulation ofBotrytis allii andB. cinerea on artificially killed segments of onion leaves that were pre-inoculated with the pathogens. During incubation of the antagonisttreated leaf segments in moist chambers, periods of leaf wetness and leaf dryness were alternated to simulate conditions in the field. Interruption of humid conditions with dry periods had a differential effect on antagonists.Alternaria alternata, Chaetomium globosum, Ulocladium atrum andU. chartarum suppressed sporulation ofB. allii almost completely under continuously wet conditions, and when the leaf wetness periods were interrupted with drying periods of 9h imposed 16, 40, and 64 h after the antagonists were applied. When leaf wetness was interrupted 16 h after antagonist application, the number of conidia ofB. allii produced cm^–2 leaf surface after eight days was under the detection limit of 5.2 × 10³ conidia on leaves treated with these antagonists compared to 3.7 × 10⁵ conidia on leaves that were not treated. On the other hand,Gliocladium roseum, G. catenulatum andSesquicillium candelabrum, all highly efficient under continuously wet conditions, were of low to moderate efficiency when leaf wetness periods had been interrupted 16 h after application of the antagonists. The antagonists showed the same differentiation and sensitivity to interrupted wetness periods when tested withB. cinerea.     

Natural occurrence of and inoculation experiments withConidiobolus coronatus andConidiobolus sp. in glasshouse populations ofBemisia tabaci

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), the sweetpotato whitefly, has only one known entomophthoralean pathogen,Erynia radicans (Entomophthoraceae). Two new pathogens have been isolated recently from a glasshouse population of this pest:Conidiobolus coronatus and another, undescribed species ofConidiobolus (Entomophthorales: Ancylistaceae). Artificial inoculation experiments revealed that eggs ofB. tabaci are practically immune to infection by either species. Second-instar larvae are highly resistant, only high doses of conidia causing between <1% and 4.6% mortality. Adults were found to be much more susceptible. Doses of 60 conidia/mm² ofC. coronatus caused average mortalities ofca 95%. The maximum mortality of adults caused byConidiobolus sp. was much lower,ca 30%, at a dose of 210 conidia/mm². The incubation period (inoculation to death) for both species, under our experimental conditions, is very short: 18–24 h forC. coronatus and 30 h forConidiobolus sp. Both fungi produced loricoconidia (conidia metamorphosed into resting spores) on cotton leaves and other dry surfaces. This ability allowedConidiobolus sp. to remain viable for 17–21 days on cotton leaves, in glasshouse conditions and in the absence of hosts, whileC. coronatus persisted for 10–14 days.     

Relationships of aphid and mite infestations to control ofBotrytis cinerea byClonostachys rosea in rose(Rosa hybrida) leaves

Infestations of aphids(Macrosiphum rosae L.) and of twospotted spider mites(Tetranychus urticae Koch) were examined in relation to growth and sporulation ofClonostachys rosea andBotrytis cinerea, and to suppression of the pathogen by the agent, in green rose leaves. Leaves were infested artificially with 10 aphids/leaflet for 3 h, or naturally with 15-30 aphids/leaflet for 7-12 days or with undetermined numbers of mites for 10-12 days. Leaves that had or had not been infested were inoculated withC. rosea, withB. cinerea, or withC. rosea plusB. cinerea. Germination incidence and germ tube growth ofC. rosea andB. cinerea on the phylloplane in most instances were much greater in leaves previously infested with aphids or mites compared with noninfested leaves. After combined inoculation,C. rosea suppressed germination ofB. cinerea from 47% to 19% in noninfested leaves, but in leaves that had been infested the agent was ineffective and germination incidence of the pathogen increased to 75-93%. Previous infestation with naturally introduced aphids or mites, but not brief infestations of artificially introduced aphids, markedly increased sporulation ofC. rosea after the leaves died during an initial 7-15 days of incubation on a paraquat agar medium, regardless of whether or notB. cinerea was present. Sporulation ofB. cinerea was similarly increased when inoculated alone. After 15-20 days, however, conidiophores of the agent or pathogen covered most of the leaf surface in these treatments. In leaves inoculated withC. rosea plusB. cinerea, the agent suppressed sporulation of the pathogen almost completely in both previously infested and noninfested leaves. Thus, aphid and mite infestations did not compromise the ability ofC. rosea to suppress inoculum production byB. cinerea in the leaves. Increased nutrient availability on the phylloplane through exudation or as honeydew or frass is proposed as a basis to explain effects of the pest infestations onC. rosea andB. cinerea.     

Development ofClonostachys rosea and interactions withBotrytis cinerea in rose leaves and residues

The effect of microclimate variables on development ofClonostachys rosea and biocontrol ofBotrytis cinerea was investigated on rose leaves and crop residues. C.rosea established and sporulated abundantly on inoculated leaflets incubated for 7–35 days at 10°, 20° and 30°C and then placed on paraquat—chloramphenical agar (PCA) for 15 days at 20°C. On leaflets kept at 10°C, the sporulation after incubation on PCA increased from 60% to 93% on samples taken 7 to 21 days after inoculation, but decreased to 45% on material sampled after 35 days. A similar pattern was observed on leaves incubated at either 20° or 30°C. The sporulation ofC. rosea on leaf disks on PCA was not affected when the onset of high humidity occurred 0, 4, 8, 12 or 16 h after inoculation. However, sporulation was reduced to 54–58% on leaflets kept for 20–24 h under dry conditions after inoculation and before being placed on PCA. The fungus sporulated on 68–74% of the surface of leaf disks kept for up to 24 h at high humidity after inoculation, but decreased to 40–51% if the high humidity period before transferral to PCA was prolonged to 36–48 h. The growth ofC. rosea on leaflets was reduced at low inoculum concentrations (10³ and 10⁴ conidia/ml) because of competition with indigenous microorganisms, but at higher concentrations (10⁵ and 10⁶ conidia/ml) the indigenous fungi were inhibited. Regardless of the time of application ofC. rosea in relation toB. cinerea, the pathogen’s sporulation was reduced by more than 99%. The antagonist was able to parasitize hyphae and conidiophores ofB. cinerea in the leaf residues. AsC. rosea exhibited flexibility in association with rose leaves under a wide range of microclimatic conditions, and in reducingB. cinerea sporulation on rose leaves and residues, it can be expected to suppress the pathogen effectively in rose production systems.     

Natural occurrence of citrinin in rice grains and its biocontrol byTrichoderma hamatum

Paddy rice was sampled from El-Sharkia, El-Gharbia, El-Dakahlia and Kafr El-Shekh governorates, Egypt. Of the 30 samples taken, ten were contaminated with the mycotoxin citrinin. An average of 6.79 × 10⁴ fungal spores per gram rice was found. The isolated fungi represented 47 species and 28 genera. The predominant genera wereAspergillus, Cladosporium andPenicillium. Aspergilli were represented by 22 species;Aspergillus niger andA. flavus had the highest occurrence.Penicillium viridicatum produced the highest amount of citrinin on glucose ammonium nitrate salts broth and rice grains, and hence this isolate was selected as a good producer of citrinin in this study. The presence ofTrichoderma hamatum reduced the amount of citrinin produced byP. viridicatum compared with its respective control. The excessive growth ofT. hamatum onP. viridicatum was increased with time. Viability ofP. viridicatum conidia decreased byT. hamatum with an increase in the incubation period. Chitinases and 1,3-β-glucanase enzyme activity ofT. hamatum increased with extending the incubation period onP. viridicatum mycelia up to maximum values at 72 and 84 h, respectively.T. hamatum led to a decrease in the production of citrinin byP. viridicatum on rice grains compared with the respective control values. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Dec. 19, 2004.     

Efficiency of isolates ofConiothyrium minitans as mycoparasites ofSclerotinia sclerotiorum,Sclerotium cepivorum andBotrytis cinerea on tomato stem pieces

Summary Twenty five isolates ofConiothyrium minitans were screened for antagonism toSclerotinia sclerotiorum in a Petri dish bioassay using tomato stem segments placed on sterile sand. The antagonistic activity of 23 isolates was quite uniform and only two less antagonistic isolates were identified. Antagonism, expressed as a reduction in the rate of tissue colonization byS. sclerotiorum, occurred, whetherC. minitans was co-inoculated at the same time, one day before or one day afterS. sclerotiorum, but was slightly restricted whenS. sclerotiorum was given a lead of one day. On average, 50–80% of sclerotia of S.sclerotiorum formed on the stem pieces were infected byC. minitans two weeks after inoculation. Excluding the less antagonistic isolates,Coniothyrium minitans was recovered from over 80% ofS. sclerotiorum-infected stem segments when co-inoculated but from a maximum of only 7% of stem pieces when exposed toC. minitans alone. When the experiments were carried out on non-sterile soil instead of sterile sand, infection of stem pieces byS. sclerotiorum was reduced and recovery ofS. sclerotiorum andC. minitans from stem segments was decreased. SevenC. minitans isolates were also screened againstSclerotium cepivorum andBotrytis cinerea and, whereas the effect ofC. minitans onS. cepivorum-infected tissue and sclerotia was essentially similar to that observed withS. sclerotiorum, B. cinerea infected tissue and sclerotia were not invaded by the antagonist.     

Greenhouse screening of the saprophytic resident microflora for control of leaf spots of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Ten microorganisms of the epiphytic microflora of wheat leaves in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, were evaluated under greenhouse conditions as potential biocontrol agents of the pathogensAlternaria triticimaculans, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Drechslera tritici-repentis andSeptoria tritici in two application sequences (prior to or together with the pathogens). The antagonists significantly reduced the expression of the diseases on wheat plants compared with control plants not inoculated with the antagonists. Maximum percentage of reduction of the necrotic lesion area (NLA) (40–55%) ofS. tritici resulted whenCryptococcus sp.,Rhodotorula rubra andPenicillium lilacinwn were sprayed on leaves prior to inoculations with the pathogen.Bacillus sp.,Cryptococcus sp.,Fusarium moniliforme var.anthophylium,P. lilacinum andR. rubra reduced significantly (34–52%) the NLA ofB. sorokiniana in both of the application sequences. The best antagonistic effect againstA. triticimaculans was shown byAspergillus niger, Bacillus sp.,Chaetomium globosum, F. moniliforme var.anthophylium andNigrospora sphaerica, with a NLA reduction from 21% to 35% in the co-inoculation or in the sequential application. All microorganisms exceptN. sphaerica performed better than the control againstD. tritici-repentis. The area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) of the pathogens appeared to progress similarly, but at lower values, in treated plants than in untreated controls. The two yeasts and the bacteria decreased AUDPC to 50–55% ofS. tritici andB. sorokiniana compared with the control in both application sequences, whereas the maximum efficacy againstA. triticimaculans was reached byN. sphaerica andA. niger for the sequential application and byF. moniliforme var.anthophylium for the co-inoculation. If the parasitism occurs also in nature, application of antagonists for biological control might provide the opportunity to compete with the pathogens and regulate their colonization in wheat leaves.     

Effect of label and sublabel rates of metam sodium in combination with<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma hamatum,T. harzianum,T. virens,T. viride</Emphasis> on survival and growth of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis>

This work was undertaken to determine the effects ofTrichoderma spp. combined with label and sublabel rates of metam sodium on survival ofRhizoctonia solani in soil. Soils were infested with wheat bran preparations ofTrichoderma hamatum Tri-4,T. harzianum Th-58,T. virens Gl-3, andT. viride Ts-1-R3. Soil was also infested with sterile beet seeds that were colonized withR. solani. Beet seeds were later recovered, plated onto water agar plus antibiotics, and the growth ofR. solani was recorded. Preliminary experiments showed thatT. hamatum andT. virens reduced survival and saprophytic activity ofR. solani when the biocontrol fungi were incorporated into soil at 1.5% (w:w) or greater. Based on these data, biocontrol fungi in subsequent experiments were incorporated into soil at 2%. Metam sodium at label rate killed all biocontrol fungi andR. solani. At 1:2 and 1:5 dilutions, metam sodium reduced survival ofR. solani and allTrichoderma spp. When biocontrol fungi plus the label rate of metam sodium and 1:5, 1:10, 1:50 or 1:100 dilutions of the label rate were tested together, there were no interactions between any biocontrol agent and the fumigant with respect to colony diameter, reflecting that allTrichoderma isolates tested reacted similarly to increasing concentrations of metam sodium. At the label rate of metam sodium, allTrichoderma spp. significantly reduced colony diameter, but not growth rate, ofR. solani from beet seed. For the levels of metam sodium tested in combination withTrichoderma, it does not appear feasible to use a reduced rate of metam sodium to controlR. solani. However, the combination ofTrichoderma with metam sodium does reduce growth ofR. solani in comparison with that provided by metam sodium at the label rate. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Feb. 11, 2004.     

Disease resistance in Vicia faba and Phaseolus vulgaris

Droplets of spore suspensions of each of four isolates ofBotrytis cinerea but not those of each of four isolates ofB. fabae proved to contain an antifungal compound 24 h after application on pod tissue ofVicia faba. Partial inhibition of germ-tube growth of three highly pathogenic isolates ofB. fabae was caused at 2.5 times the concentration of inhibitor needed to cause similar inhibition of each isolate ofB. cinerea and a weakly pathogenic isolate ofB. fabae. After extraction, concentration and chromatographic separation, 5–10 times more inhibitor was obtained from lesions in pods caused byB. cinerea than from those caused byB. fabae. However, the amounts of inhibitor extracted from whole leaves bearing either large lesions caused byB. fabae or small lesions caused byB. cinerea were almost the same. It is suggested that infection by either fungus induces inhibitor formation, but thatB. fabae metabolizes the inhibitor to an inactive form.No relation was found between amounts of an inhibitor produced in droplets of spore suspensions 24 h after application on pods of differential varieties ofPhaseolus vulgaris and the disease reactions caused by races ofColletotrichum lindemuthianum. Each race appeared to have a similar sensitivity to the inhibitor. Anatomical studies showed that only superficial growth of germ-tubes occurred in seed cavities in the first two days, after which penetration took place. Resistant or susceptible reactions were distinguished after 6 days in young pods, and even later in old pods. Before rejecting the hypothesis that the inhibitor may have a role in the mechanism of disease resistance, amounts of inhibitor in and around infection sites on leaves or stems should be measured. Apparent protection of leaf areas against infection was caused by prior inoculation with a race which was avirulent on the leaf. This phenomenon is consistent with the action of an inhibitor of the type found in pod tissues, but could be caused by reactions as yet unknown.     

Persistent,symptomless, systemic,and seed-borne infection of lettuce by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis>

Experiments are presented which show that Botrytis cinerea, the cause of grey mould disease, is often present in symptomless lettuce plants as a systemic, endophytic, infection which may arise from seed. The fungus was isolated on selective media from surface-sterilised sections of roots, stem pieces and leaf discs from symptomless plants grown in a conventional glasshouse and in a spore-free air-flow provided by an isolation propagator. The presence of B. cinerea was confirmed by immuno-labelling the tissues with the Botrytis-specific monoclonal antibody BC-12.CA4. As plants grew, infection spread from the roots to stems and leaves. Surface-sterilisation of seeds reduced the number of infected symptomless plants. Artificial infection of seedlings with dry conidia increased the rate of infection in some experiments. Selected isolates were genetically finger-printed using microsatellite loci. This confirmed systemic spread of the inoculating isolates but showed that other isolates were also present and that single plants hosted multiple isolates. This shows that B. cinerea commonly grows in lettuce plants as an endophyte, as has already been shown for Primula. If true for other hosts, the endophytic phase may be as important a component of the species population as the aggressive necrotrophic phase.     

Effects of Host and Microbial Factors on Development of Clonostachys rosea and Control of Botrytis cinerea in Rose

Development of Clonostachys rosea in rose leaves and petals and control of Botrytis cinerea by the agent were investigated. C. rosea germinated, established endophytic growth, and sporulated abundantly whether the tissues were mature, senescent or dead when inoculated. Germination incidence was moderate on mature and senescent leaves (47% and 35%) and petals (31% and 43%), and high (>98%) on dead tissues. Sporulation of C. rosea in tissues inoculated when mature, senescent or dead averaged 41%, 61%, and 75% in leaves, and 48%, 87% and 53% in petals. When leaves were wounded with needles before inoculation, germination of C. rosea increased from 45–56% to 90–92%, but sporulation became high (>75%) regardless of wounds. When leaves were inoculated with C. rosea at 0–24h after wounding and subsequently with B. cinerea, germination of the pathogen was reduced by 25–41% and sporulation by 99%. A humid period prior to inoculation of senescent or dead leaves promoted communities of indigenous fungi, reduced sporulation of C. rosea and B. cinerea, and, in dead leaves, increased control of the pathogen associated with C. rosea. Applied at high density, isolates of indigenous Penicillium sp. and Alternaria alternata from rose interacted with C. rosea and reduced control of the pathogen by 16% and 21%, respectively. In conclusion, C. rosea markedly suppressed sporulation of B. cinerea in rose leaves and petals regardless of developmental stage, minor wounds, and natural densities of microflora. This versatility should allow C. rosea to effectively control inoculum production of B. cinerea in rose production systems.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> induces senescence and is inhibited by autoregulated expression of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">IPT</Emphasis> gene

Botrytis cinerea is a non-specific, necrotrophic pathogen that attacks many plant species, including Arabidopsis and tomato. Since senescing leaves are particularly susceptible to infection by B. cinerea, we hypothesized that the fungus might induce senescence as part of its mode of action and that delaying leaf senescence might reduce the severity of B. cinerea infections. To examine these hypotheses, we followed the expression of Arabidopsis SAG12, a senescence-specific gene, upon infection with B. cinerea. Expression of SAG12 is induced by B. cinerea infection, indicating that B. cinerea induces senescence. The promoter of SAG12, as well as that of a second Arabidopsis senescence-associated gene, SAG13, whose expression is not specific to senescence, were previously analyzed in tomato plants and were found to be expressed in a similar manner in the two species. These promoters were previously used in tomato plants to drive the expression of isopentenyl transferase (IPT) from Agrobacterium to suppress leaf senescence (Swartzberg et al. in Plant Biology 8:579–586, 2006). In this study, we examined the expression of these promoters following infection of tomato plants with B. cinerea. Both promoters exhibit high expression levels upon B. cinerea infection of non-senescing leaves of tomato plants, supporting our conclusion that B. cinerea induces senescence as part of its mode of action. In contrast to B. cinerea, Trichoderma harzianum T39, a saprophytic fungus that is used as a biocontrol agent against B. cinerea, induces expression of SAG13 only. Expression of IPT, under the control of the SAG12 and SAG13 promoters in response to infection with B. cinerea resulted in suppression of B. cinerea-induced disease symptoms, substantiating our prediction that delaying leaf senescence might reduce susceptibility to B. cinerea. Contribution from the Agriculture Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel, No. 127/2006 series.     

Soil receptivity toFusarium solani f. sp.pisi and biological control of root rot of pea

Potential antagonists ofFusarium solani f. sp.pisi (Fsp) were selected from soil samples with varying degrees of receptivity to this pathogen. They were tested against Fsp isolate 48 (Fs48), in increasingly complex systems. Most species testedin vitro were able to antagonize Fs48. No relation could be establishedin vitro between the receptivity of the soil from which an isolate originated and its antagonism to Fs48. In soils naturally infested with pea root rot pathogens, which were stored humid at 4°C for a period longer than a year, various isolates ofFusarium, Gliocladium andPenicillium spp. were able to reduce root rot. After sterilization of these soils, onlyGliocladium roseum isolates, added at 10⁵ conidia g^–1 dry soil, significantly reduced disease severity and prevented root weight losses caused by Fs48 at 10⁴ conidia g^–1 dry soil. In soils in which the biota were activated by growing peas before the assays, doses of 10⁶ and 10⁷ ofG. roseum were required to reduce root rot. In these soils, the antagonistic effects of fluorescent pseudomonad strains from soil of low receptivity to Fsp were variable. Some strains of fluorescent pseudomonads, from soil moderately receptive to Fsp and from highly infested soils, were also able to reduce root rot. Disease suppression by pseudomonad strains was more evident in the absence than in the presence ofAphanomyces euteiches in the root rot pathogen complex. The role of receptiveness of the soil with regard to potential antagonists is discussed.     

Comparative Analysis of the Role of Substrate Specificity in Biological Control of Botrytis Elliptica in Lily and B. Cinerea in Cyclamen with Ulocladium Atrum

Biological control of Botrytis spp. by the fungal antagonist Ulocladium atrum is based on their interaction in plant tissue. U. atrum is effective against B. cinerea in commercial cyclamen crops but not effective against B. elliptica in lily crops. Based on the necrotrophic nature of the Botrytis spp. and the saprophytic nature of U. atrum it is hypothesised, and experimentally confirmed, that the interaction between Botrytis spp. and U. atrum, resulting in a biocontrol effect, only takes place in necrotic plant tissue. The role of necrotic tissue in the epidemiology of B. cinerea in cyclamen and B. elliptica in lily was found to be different. Removal of symptomless senescing leaves resulted in a significant reduction of the area under the disease severity progress curve (AUDPC) for B. cinerea in cyclamen but had no effect on the disease severity in lily. U. atrum applications significantly reduced B. cinerea AUDPC values in cyclamen but were less efficient than the removal of senescing leaves. In lily, disease severity was not affected by applications of U. atrum. It is concluded that necrotic cyclamen tissue, not killed by B. cinerea, plays an important role in the onset of disease. Colonisation of this tissue by U. atrum prevents saprophytic colonisation of those leaves by B. cinerea. In contrast, conidia of B. elliptica directly infect healthy lily leaf tissue. U. atrum applications aimed at blocking the infection pathway from a saprophytic base are therefore not effective against B. elliptica. Control options based on competitive interactions in and around B. elliptica lesions resulted in a reduced production of conidia by B. elliptica but proved ineffective against disease development. The potential of U. atrum as a biocontrol agent against Botrytis spp. and possibly against other necrotrophs appears to be determined by the competitive saprophytic ability of the antagonist in mutual substrates of pathogen and antagonist and by the role of these substrates in disease epidemiology.     

Horizontal and vertical distribution of airborne conidia of Botrytis cinerea in a gerbera crop grown under glass

The horizontal and vertical distribution of airborne conidia ofBotrytis cinerea in a gerbera crop in two glasshouses (100 m² and 350 m²) was studied during 18 months in 1988 and 1989. Conidia ofB. cinerea were caught in simple spore traps consisting of agar in Petri dishes placed in a regular pattern at three different heights in the glasshouse and counted as colonies, after incubation. Lesions due to conidial infection were counted on gerbera petals. The horizontal and vertical distribution of conidia ofB. cinerea in a gerbera crop grown under glass was fairly uniform in both distinct glass-houses. Conidia ofB. cinerea trapped in a glasshouse can originate from sources inside and outside the glasshouse. No significant interaction was found between location and time for the colony counts and for the log transformed (ln(N+1)) lesion counts. The results of this study suggest that spore trapping at one height and at a limited number of locations and dates is sufficient for efficient monitoring ofB. cinerea in a glasshouse.     

Reduced volume application of fungicides for the control of onion rots

A survey was conducted to define the fungi population contaminating onion bulbs in Israel during three growing seasons. Significant rots were found to be caused byBotrytis allii, B. cinerea andAspergillus niger. All the onion stocks tested showed infections, but the severity and identity of the pathogens varied between seasons.B. cinerea andB. allii were the most prevalent fungi in winter-harvested onions. Species ofAspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Rhizopus andTrichoderma were also isolated. The first two were the only species found on summer onions. High fungal contamination had been the main factor affecting an attempt to improve the storage quality and shelf life of the harvested bulbs. Chemical disinfection using a reduced-volume application (RVA) technique was efficient in controlling the major storage rots (caused byA. niger andB. cinerea) of the bulbs, without the major disadvantages of the dipping method. The rate of control was directly correlated with the cover density of the deposited fungicide, but not with the amount deposited. The RVA technique should enable prolongation of postharvest shelf life and storability of onion bulbs.     

Effects of temperature,vapour pressure deficit and radiation on infectivity of conidia ofBotrytis cinerea and on susceptibility of gerbera petals

The effect of vapour pressure deficit, temperature and radiation on the postharvest susceptibility of gerbera flowers toB. cinerea, on the water relations of gerbera flowers and on the lesion formation after conidial infection ofB. cinerea was studied. The temperature range in whichB. cinerea could germinate and growin vitro is 5–30 °C. In climate chamber experiments flowers had more lesions ofB. cinerea at temperatures of 20 and 25 °C than at 10 and 15°C. At 15, 20 and 25°C the infectivity ofB. cinerea conidia was negatively affected during a storage-period of 7 days. At a vapour pressure deficit (VPD) of 200 Pa significantly more conidia ofB. cinerea were infective than at 800 Pa. At a VPD of 800 Pa the susceptibility of gerbera flowers forB. cinerea was not significantly different than at 200 Pa. High radiation levels in glasshouses in spring and summer negatively influenced the infectivity of conidia ofB. cinerea on the flower surface, but did not affect the susceptibility of gerbera flowers forB. cinerea. In spring and early summer conidia lost their infectivity at high radiation levels, high temperatures and high levels of VPD. In summer gerbera flowers could be more susceptible toB. cinerea because of high temperatures in glasshouses, but the negative effect of radiation on the conidia ofB. cinerea seemed to overrule the temperature effect. Thus, the numbers of lesions in spring and summer can be low compared with the numbers in other seasons, although the numbers ofB. cinerea colonies on spore traps can be high. The effect of temperature on the susceptibility of gerbera flowers can probably be explained by changes of water status in the petals. At higher temperatures the number of lesions and the turgor (=water potential—osmotic potential) in the petals increased. Temperatures <10°C during lesion formation (RH>95% and VPD<50 Pa) had a temporary negative effect on the number of lesions. After 3 days of incubation the numbers of lesions were about equal (30 lesions/cm²) from 5 to 20°C. At 30°C no lesion formation was observed even after 3 days.