Comparative aggressiveness of standard and variant hybrid alder phytophthoras, Phytophthora cambivora and other Phytophthora species on bark of Alnus, Quercus and other woody hosts
Cm. Brasier et Sa. Kirk, Comparative aggressiveness of standard and variant hybrid alder phytophthoras, Phytophthora cambivora and other Phytophthora species on bark of Alnus, Quercus and other woody hosts, PLANT PATH, 50(2), 2001, pp. 218-229
Pathogenicity tests were carried out on the bark of Alnus glutinosa with 19
isolates of the standard (near-tetraploid) hybrid alder phytophthora, nine
isolates representing its known heteroploid variants and 11 isolates of P.
cambivora, a probable parent species of the hybrid. Over a 4-year period,
12 experiments were conducted on living alder logs incubated at 20 degreesC
. Most isolates of the standard hybrid and these of the 'Dutch variant' wer
e highly aggressive to alder bark. Isolates of the 'Swedish', 'UK' and Germ
an variants', and of P. cambivora, were only weakly pathogenic. Use, isolat
es of P. fragariae, P. cinnamomi, P. sp. 'O-group', P. cryptogea, P. megasp
erma, P. gonapodyides and P. citricola were either weakly or nonpathogenic.
Rates of lesion development were greatest on logs cut during July-October,
slower on logs cut between November and March and zero on logs cut during
April, indicating a strong seasonal effect. Other evidence indicated that l
esion development was subject to critical thresholds of host resistance. Th
e standard hybrid was nonpathogenic to the bark of four other hardwood and
two conifer species, indicating that it is relatively host specific. In con
trast, P. cambivora was an aggressive pathogen on live bark of Quercus and
Castanea. The significance of these results is discussed.