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Transmission of Pythium aphanidermatum to greenhouse cucumber by the fungus gnat Bradysia impatiens (Diptera: Sciaridae)
Author(s) -
JARVIS W. R.,
SHIPP J. L.,
GARDINER R. B.
Publication year - 1993
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.1744-7348.1993.tb04010.x
Subject(s) - pythium aphanidermatum , biology , sciaridae , impatiens , fungus , botany , pythium , horticulture , larva , biological pest control , cultivar
Summary The fungus gnat ( Bradysia impatiens ) was examined for its ability to transmit Pythium aphanidermatum to cucumber plants. Larvae that had ingested oospores and mycelium, and then fed on the roots of young cucumber plants growing in rockwool readily introduced the fungus to them. Trans‐stadial transmission of oospores from the larval to the adult stage of B. impatiens was demonstrated, although decreasing to a very low level (1.67%) in adults. However, external transmission of P. aphanidermatum on the surface of adults could not be shown. These results suggest that the larval stages of fungus gnats play a role in the dissemination of the fungus between cucumber plants but that adults probably play only a minor role.