496 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



J. B. Rorer * gives some account of " pink disease " of Cacao due to 

 Gorticium salmonicolor, which covers the branches on the lower side with 

 its incrustations. It is not a disease that reaches any serious propor- 

 tions, but if the larger branches are reached much harm may be done. 

 Bordeaux mixture and other fungicides are recommended. 



Some diseases of forage plants in South Africa f have been investi- 

 gated by Van der Bigl : on Chloris he records Tohjposporiwn Chloridis^ 

 and Epichloe sp. ; on Sporoholus he finds Helminthosporium crustaceum. 

 Paspalum is seriously attacked by the ergot Claviceps Faspali; and 

 growers are warned against disseminating Ustilaginese by feeding cattle 

 with diseased straw. All cereals so diseased should be burned. 



Pole Evans | records a disease caused by Sorosporium Simii sp. n. 

 (Ustilaginales) on Sorghum haUpense. As the host is perennial Evans- 

 argues that the inflorescence may be infected by the fungus ; usually 

 it is the seedling that is first attacked. 



T. Westerdijk § has reported a new disease of tobacco in Sumatra 

 due to a fungus identified as Schrotium Rolfsii. The disease shows 

 itself by the withering of the leaves, a white felt of mycelium on 

 the roots, and by the brown sclerotia some few milimetres wide. The 

 same fungus causes disease on Hibiscus and on Canavalia in Java, 

 Methods of dealing with the trouble are discussed. 



A disease attacking the shoots and fruit of fig-trees in England has 

 been diagnosed by W. B. Brierley || as due to the fungus Boirytis 

 cinerea. The fruit is usually entered by the pore and soon is completely 

 destroyed. When a shoot is inoculated the mycelium spreads on all 

 sides and kills the shoots. All diseased portions should be removed. 



James Johnson 1[ has published a list of plants that are liable to 

 attack of the parasite Thielavia basicola. Many of these were ascertained 

 by infection experiments. There is a very long list, but the families 

 that suifer most are the Leguminosse, Solanaceas, and Cucurbitacese. 

 There are no specialized races. Infection occurs mainly or only on the 

 roots or on the base of the stem just at, or below, the soil. 



B. Peyronel ■"""■ has found on the roots of Lupiniis albus a parasitic 

 fungus which spreads in reddish-brown patches, destroying the very 

 young plants. The disease is caused by Clialctropsis thielavioides, gen. 

 et sp. n. The fungus has an almost colourless branching mycelium 

 which gives rise to macroconidia (or chlamydospores) and to micro- 

 conidia. The macroconidia are brown with very thick walls, and look 

 like black powder in the mass ; the microconidia are colourless and are 



* Bull. Dept. Agric. Trinidad and Tobago, xv. (1916) pp. 86-9 (1 pi.). See also 

 Bull. Agric. Intell. Rome, vii. (1916) pp. 1548-9. 



t Agric. Journ. and Small Holder, South Africa, iv. (1916) pp. 37-9 (6 figs.). 

 See also Bull. Agric. Intell. Rome, vii. (1916) pp. 1854-5. 



I South African Journ. Sci., xii. (1916) pp. 542-3. See also Bull. Agric. Intell. 

 Rome, vii. (1916) p. 1855. 



§ Med. Delim. Proefst., x. (1916) pp. 30-40 (2 pis.). See also Bull. Agric. Intell. 

 Rome, viii. (1917) p. 309. 



li Kew Bull., No. 9 (1916) pp. 225-9 (2 pis.). 



\ Journ. Agric. Research, Washington, vii. (1916) pp. 289-300 (2 pis.). See also 

 Bull. Agric. Intell. Rome. viii. (1917) pp. 476-9. 



♦* Le Staz. Sperim. Ital. Modena, xlix. (1916) pp. 583-96 (5 figs.). See also 

 Bull. Agric. Intell. Rome, viii. (1917) pp. 479-80. 



