Effects of Temperature on the Length of the Incubation Period of Rose Powdery Mildew (Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosae)

The effect of temperature on the length of the incubation period of rose powdery mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosae, was studied. At constant temperature over the range 8–28°C, the length of the incubation period ranged from 3 to 10 days; no visible colonies developed at 30°C after 19 days. The relationship between temperature and the rate of development of mildew colonies within the incubation period under constant temperature was described by two alternative non-linear models (exponential and thermodynamic). The resulting curves were asymmetrically bell-shaped with an optimum temperature of c. 23°C. The two constant-temperature models predicted the development of powdery mildew under fluctuating temperatures with similar accuracy, even though the exponential model fitted the constant temperature data less well than the thermodynamic model. The thermodynamic model failed to fit the fluctuating-temperature data directly, whereas the exponential model fitted those data directly and the fit was similar to the corresponding model from the constant-temperature data. Fitting the models to the combined (constant and fluctuating temperature) data gave results that were nearly identical to those based on the constant-temperature data alone.