later it becomes hard and finally assumes a grey colour. 

 The fungus responsible for this disease is the above species 

 G. alborubrum. 



If the dead top shoot is not removed another disease 

 occurs. The dying back extends to the woody stem, and 

 passes down to the root, when the tree is killed. This 

 disease is caused by Botryodiplodia elasticce, Petch, which 

 Mr. Petch considers to be identical with Diplodia cacaoicola. 



The parasitism of the two fungi, Gleosporium alborubrum 

 and Diplodia cacaoicola {Botryodiplodia elasticcE) does not 

 seem to have been investigated, but it would appear from 

 the published account of the disease that the Diplodia sp. 

 depended on the previous attack caused by the Gleosporium 

 sp., and accordingly was little more than a saprophyte, or, 

 at best, a poor wound parasite. This is not the case with 

 the die-back disease of the cacao plant ; all the stages in 

 the die-back of the cacao plant are caused by Diplodia 

 cacaoicola, and this fungus is believed to be capable of 

 infecting the pods at either the basal or stigmatic end, so 

 that it is a wound parasite on the stem, and does not 

 depend on any other fungus for its existence as such. 



PETCH : "Die-Back of Hevea brasiliensis" Circulars 

 and Agric. /bum. of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, 

 Vol. IV., No. 23, 1910. 



GLEOSPORIUM AMPELOPHAGUM, Sacc. 



(Grape Rot.) 



This fungus is the cause of a serious disease in European 

 vineyards ; it has also caused considerable loss to viti- 

 culturalists in the United States, and it has been reported 

 to occur in St. Lucia. 



The young shoots, leaves and fruits are attacked. On 

 the leaves small, irregularly scattered, greyish spots are 

 produced ; sometimes the centre of the spot falls out, 

 leaving a hole. On the young shoots, tendrils and leaf- 

 stalks the spots are more elongated. The spots on the 

 fruits are circular and larger than those on the leaves. The 

 growth of the fruits is checked, and they finally shrink and 

 dry up. 



Dredging with flowers of sulphur, repeating at intervals 

 of ten days, has been recommended ; the collecting of 

 diseased leaves and shoots and the removal of diseased 

 fruits should also be practised. 



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