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Puccinia horiana Hennings, the causal agent of chrysanthemum white rust, is a worldwide quarantine organism and one of the most important fungal pathogens of Chrysanthemum × morifolium cultivars, which are used for cut flowers and as potted plants in commercial production regions of the world. It was previously reported to be controlled by Lecanicillium lecanii, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, C. uredinicola and Aphanocladium album, due to their antagonistic and hyperparasitic effects. We report novel antagonist species on Puccinia horiana. Fungi isolated from rust pustules in a commercial greenhouse from Villa Guerrero, México, were identified as Cladosporium cladosporioides and Cladosporium pseudocladosporioides based upon molecular analysis and morphological characters. The antagonism of C. cladosporioides and C. pseudocladosporioides on chrysanthemum white rust was studied using light and electron microscopy in vitro at the host/parasite interface. Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. pseudocladosporioides grew towards the white rust teliospores and colonized the sporogenous cells, but no direct penetration of teliospores was observed; however, the structure and cytoplasm of teliospores were altered. The two Cladosporium spp. were able to grow on media containing laminarin, but not when chitin was used as the sole carbon source; these results suggest that they are able to produce glucanases. Results from the study indicate that both Cladosporium species had potential as biological control agents of chrysanthemum white rust.

The temporal progress of malformation (MM) of mango (Mangifera indica) was studied from 1993 to 1995 with three management technologies applied to commercial plantations in North Guerrero, Mexico. Management influenced shoot production and thus determined the dynamics of epidemics. Environmental factors also affected disease incidence, particularly through an apparent effect on inoculum dispersal. In general, integrated management (IM), consisting of pruning, acaricide, and fungicide sprays, resulted in slower rates of epidemic development, lower levels of initial and final disease, and lesser areas under the disease progress curves. In the first cycle, IM increased yield per tree by 51% in relation to high technology (HT) and 74% in relation to lower traditional technology (LT), representing a benefit-cost rate of 2.8 and 3.3, respectively. Change of malformation incidence was correlated positively with the number of macroconidia of Fusarium sp. trapped in the canopy (r = 0.90, P = 0.0001) and wind speed (r = 0.83, P = 0.0001); both variables lagged over a 4-month period. The greatest change in malformation occurred during the main vegetative flush, which occurred 3 to 6 months after picking the fruit (May). The accumulated proportion of diseased shoots was correlated with the following variables measured over a 1-week period: average maximum daily temperature (r = -0.68, P = 0. 01), average temperature per hour (r = -0.59, P = 0.04), average number of hours with relative humidity ≥60% (r = -0.82, P = 0.001), and wind speed (r = 0.94, P = 0.0001). In general, the greatest spore density was found during the rainy season, with a morning periodicity showing the highest correlation with wind speed (r = 0.812, P = 0.0001). F. subglutinans was isolated consistently from diseased (86%) and asymptomatic (5%) vegetative and flowering shoots.

The effect of two temperature regimes (daytime, 29 Ϯ 2ЊC, night-time, 24 Ϯ 3ЊC; and daytime, 23 Ϯ 1ЊC, night-time, 18 Ϯ 2ЊC) on the symptoms caused by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), and the accumulation of TSWV virions, was compared in Datura stramonium, Nicotiana tabacum cv. White Burley and Physalis ixocarpa. Tobacco plants were more severely affected by TSWV at the high temperature regime, but the incidence (percent of plants with symptoms) was 100% for both regimes. In P. ixocarpa and D. stramonium the higher temperature caused an increase in both incidence and rate of development of symptoms. At high temperature, all three species showed both local and systemic symptoms; however, at low temperature only P. ixocarpa consistently developed systemic symptoms. In general, virus accumulation in the inoculated leaves (presumably the combined effect of virus replication and local movement) of all plants was higher at the lower temperature. Long distance movement in tobacco, leading to virion accumulation in other plant organs, was favoured by high temperature; but there was relatively little effect in P. ixocarpa and D. stramonium.