Effects of Temperature on Viability of Pathogenic Fusarium Species

Abstract The viability of three species of Fusarium pathogenic to winter cereals was differently affected by temperature. F. culmorum survived in vitro in soil for 4 months at 8, 20 and 30 °C, the number of colony forming units (CFU) recorded at these temperatures after incubation being 125, 185 and 624 % respectively when compared with the number present at the beginning of the experiment. F. avenaceum and F. heterosporum barely survived at 8 °C after incubation for 4 months but at 20 °C the numbers of CFU were 314 and 380 % respectively, while at 30 °C the corresponding number tor each of these species was 200 %. At natural soil temperatures in winter, the number of CFU of F. culmorum after 4.5 months decreased to 60, 70 and 87 % of the number present at the beginning of this experiment when infested soil was buried at depths of 7–10, 15—20 and 30 cm respectively. In the upper soil layer where winter temperatures were lowest, survival of F. avenaceum and F. heterosporum did not occur. Survival rates for these two species at a depth of 15—20 cm were 20 and 5 % respectively. In the deepest layer of soil (30 cm) survival of these two species was 30 % for F. avenaceum and 10 % for F. heterosporum of the number present at the beginning of this experiment. These results demonstrate that during the early spring stages of growth of winter wheat, inoculum of F. culmorum , unlike that of F. avenaceum and F. heterosporum , is also a source of infection in the top soil layer in our climatic conditions.