STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY OF FUSARIUM MONILIFORME SHELD. UNDER SORGHUM CULTURE

STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY OF FUSARIUM MONILIFORME SHELD. UNDER SORGHUM CULTURE

Abstract:

Fusarium moniliforme Sheld. conidia and vegetative hyphae were capable of overwintering (1979 and 1980) without any loss of viability or pathogenicity in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) stalks under Kansas conditions. No structures such as thick hyphae, chlamydospores or sclerotia were observed in 1979 although chlamydospore-like cells were observed on some hyphae in 1980* Additionally, no loss in viability of conidia or hyphae was observed when P. moniliforme was stored at -16C for six months. This suggests that low winter temperatures have no lethal effects on F. moniliforme and also shows that special overwintering structures are not essential for overwintering of F. moniliforme. Fusarium moniliforme Sheld., described in 1904, occurs in both tropical and temperate regions of the world as a a pathogen or numerous crops (2). Chlamydospore production has not been reported (2) although the fungus can be isolated from overwintered host tissues (7, 10). The survival mechanisms for overwintering in the temperate regions are unknown for F. moniliforme. Myvall and Kommedahl (9, 10) observed hyphae three to four-fold thicker than normal F. moniliforme hyphae from

STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY OF FUSARIUM MONILIFORME SHELD. UNDER SORGHUM CULTURE