ISHS Acta Horticulturae 325: VI International Symposium on Flower Bulbs
AN ATTEMPT TO PRODUCE AN APOTHECIAL STATE OF BOTRYTIS ELLIPTICA IN VITRO |
| Authors: | Gary A. Chastagner, K. L. Riley, Robert P. Doss |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.325.99 |
| Abstract:
Botrytis elliptica, an important foliar pathogen of lilies, is one of several Botrytis spp. that cause diseases of geophytes. Members of this genus can exist in a number of form-genera. The teleomorph or sexual stage is characterized by the production of apothecia and is assigned to the form genus Botryotinia. Among the asexual anamorphs are the conidiophore form genus Botrytis, the phialoconidiophore form genus Myrioconium, and the sclerotium form genus Sclerotium. A Botryotinia state for Botrytis elliptica has not been found, although the fungus produces microconidia or spermatia (Myrioconium sp.) in vitro. With the availability of microconidia, an effort was made to determine if the sexual stage of Botrytis elliptica could be expressed under controlled conditions. Sclerotia from 10 isolates of Botrytis elliptica were conditioned at 0°C in the dark for 4 weeks, followed by 2 weeks at 5°C. Sclerotia were spermatized with a suspension of conidia and microconidia from all 10 isolates and placed on moistened sterile sand in petri plates. The sclerotia were incubated at 15°C in the dark for 4 weeks and then placed in a lighted (14 hour photoperiod) incubator at 15°C. Approximately 4 weeks later, orange-brown colored stipes were observed on sclerotia from one isolate. Stipes had an ostiole at the apex and a hymenial layer that contained mostly immature asci, a few asci with ascospores and paraphyses. Although the sclerotia that produced the stipes also produced conidiophores and conidia of Botrytis elliptica, attempts to recover and germinate ascospores and thus prove the existence of Botryotinia stage for Botrytis elliptica failed. | |
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