Abstract
Mint oil production from peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is a new industry in the river valleys of north-east Victoria, Australia. In this study, the disease cycles on M, × piperita, M. × gracilis (Scotch spearmint) and M. spicata (spearmint) growing in the Ovens Valley, north-east Victoria, were monitored for four years. The complete life cycle was observed annually on M. × gracilis and M. spicata, but only urediniospores and teliospores were observed on M. × piperita. Viable urediniospores were always present on M. × piperita, confirming that urediniospores carry the disease over winter on peppermint grown in north-east Victoria. On the two spearmint species, viable urediniospores were observed only on M. × gracilis during the 1997 winter. Reports on the disease cycle of P menthae in the mint-growing regions of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and New Zealand have shown that P. menthae is macrocyclic, with teliospores as the mechanism for overwintering, but the present study concludes that it is microcyclic on peppermint growing under local conditions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baxter, J.W. (1952) — A biological study of the mint rust organism, Puccinia menthae Pers. PhD Thesis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
Baxter, J.W. and Cummins, G.B. (1953) — Physiologic specialization in Puccinia menthae Pers., and notes on epiphytology. Phytopathology 43: 178–180.
Beresford, R.M. and Mulholland, R.I. (1987) — Mint rust on cultivated peppermint in Canterbury: disease cycle and control by flaming. New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture 15: 229–233.
Bienvenu, F.E. (1992) — Development of aviable peppermint oil industry in south eastern Australia. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Report DAV-24A.
De Vallavieille-Pope, C., Huber, L., Leconte, M. and Goyeau, H. (1995) — Comparative effects of temperature and interrupted wet periods on germination, penetration and infection of Puccinia recondita fsp. tritici and P. striformis on wheat seedlings. Phytopathology 85: 409–415.
Edwards, J., Ades, P.K., Parbery, D.G., Halloran, G.M. and Taylor, P. W. J. (1999a) — Morphological and molecular variation between Australian isolates of Puccinia menthae. Mycological Research (In press).
Edwards, J. and Bienvenu, F.E. (1999) — Investigations into the use of flame and the herbicide, paraquat, to control peppermint rust in north-east Victoria, Australia. Australasian Plant Pathology 28: 212–224.
Edwards, J., Halloran, G.M., Parbery, D.G. and Taylor, P.A. (1999b) — Physiologic specialisation in Puccinia menthae on peppermint and other hosts in Victoria, Australia. Plant Pathology 28: 205–211.
Edwards, J., Parbery, D.G., Halloran, G.M. and Taylor, P.A. (1998) — Assessment of infection and sporulation processes of mint rust on peppermint in controlled conditions. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 49: 1125–1132.
Fletcher, J.T. (1958) — The biology of Puccinia menthae Pers. PhD Thesis, The University of Birmingham, UK.
Hardison, J.R. (1976) — Fire and flame for plant disease control. Annual Review of Plant Pathology 14: 355–379.
Horner, C.E. (1954a) — Disease cycle and control of peppermint rust caused by Puccinia menthae Pers. PhD Thesis, Oregon State College, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
Homer, C.E. (1954b) — Factors affecting the disease cycle of peppermint rust. Phytopathology 44: 493.
Horner, C.E. (1955) — Control peppermint diseases. Oregon Agricultural Experimental Station Bulletin No. 547.
Horner, C.E. (1963) — Field disease cycle of peppermint rust. Phytopathology 53: 1063–1067.
Homer, C.E. (1965) — Control of mint rust by propane gas flaming and contact herbicides. Plant Disease Reporter 49: 393–395.
Niederhauser, J.S. (1945) — The rust of greenhouse grown spearmint and its control. Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station Memoir 263, Ithaca, New York.
Peterson, L. (1995) — Experience of the Essential Oils of Tasmania Company in developing new crops. The Australian New Crops Newsletter 4: 2–3.
Stone, W.J.H. (1963) — Epiphytology and physiology of spearmint rust, caused by Puccinia menthae Pers. PhD Thesis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
Tollenaar, H. (1985) — Uredospore germination and development of some cereal rusts from south-central Chile at constant temperatures. Phytopathologische Zeitschrift 114: 118–25.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Edwards, J., Parbery, D., Taylor, P.A. et al. Disease cycles of Puccinia menthae on commercial Mentha species growing in north-east Victoria, Australia. Australasian Plant Pathology 28, 200–204 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1071/AP99034
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/AP99034