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Effects of environmental factors on growth of lesions on field bean leaves infected by Botrytis fabae
Author(s) -
HARRISON J. G.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1980.tb03970.x
Subject(s) - biology , botrytis , botany , botrytis cinerea , horticulture
SUMMARY Chocolate spot lesions increased in size only slowly when the relative humidity of the air was below 66%. Following a lag phase immediately after infection the rate of increase was linear and proportional to humidity between c . 70% and 100% r.h. Lesions on leaflets kept at 70% r.h. for 8 h and at 100% r.h. for 16 h/day increased in size at only 27% of the rate of those at continuous 100% r.h. The optimum temperature for lesion growth was between 15 and 22 °C, the minimum <4 °C and the maximum c . 30 °C. Humidity did not interact with temperature between 10 and 20 °C. Neither light intensity nor a film of water over the leaves affected lesion growth. These findings are discussed in relation to meteorological data and field observations. The possible mechanisms whereby humidity affects lesion growth did not appear to be related to CO 2 and O 2 concentrations nor to the overall water potential of the leaf. Preliminary evidence is presented for the production of phytotoxins within lesions.