EFFECTS OF WHEAT CROP DEBRIS ON THE SPORULATION AND SURVIVAL OF PSEUDOCERCOSPORELLA-HERPOTRICHOIDES

Three separate experiments showed that wheat tissue infected with the cereal eyespot Fungus, Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides, produced f ewer spores in the presence of chopped wheat straw than when it was ab sent. This provides a possible explanation for earlier observations th at there was often less eyespot in plots where straw had been incorpor ated than where it had been burnt. Sporulation on eyespot infected whe at tissue was not mostly correlated with the viability of P. herpotric hoides, which could usually be isolated from infected tissue for some rime after it had apparently lost the ability to produce spores. Many of the colonies that were isolated from such tissue also failed to spo rulate under the conditions used but non sporulating colonies were les s common amongst those isolated from tissue that had been mixed with c hopped straw than from tissue that had not.