The effect of aeration on colony diameter, sporangium production and zoospore germination of Phytophthora cinnamomi

Davison, E.M. and Tay, F.C.S. (1986) The effect of aeration on colony diameter, sporangium production and zoospore germination of Phytophthora cinnamomi. New Phytologist, 103 (4). pp. 735-744.

Abstract

The reduced aeration which occurs in waterlogged soil was simulated in the laboratory using O2/N2 gas mixtures, and its effects were studied on six isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands. Mycelial growth of five isolates grown on agar under a flowing atmosphere, and sporangium production by all of the isolates grown in bubbled liquid culture, were severely reduced under anaerobic conditions. Three of the isolates showed an increase in the number and rate of development of sporangia with increasing O2 concentration of the gas stream. The other isolates showed no increase in the number of sporangia formed at dissolved O., concentrations above 1.3 mgl−1. There was no effect of O2 concentration, either during growth (13.5 or 21% O2) or germination, on the proportion of zoospores that germinated on agar or on initial growth of germ tubes. However, after 19 h, the total length of germ tubes including branches increased with increasing O2 concentration during germination. The number of branches in 11 of the 12 combinations examined was also positively correlated with O2 concentration.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Environmental and Life Sciences
Publisher:	Blackwell Publishing
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/32773

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