334 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 11, 1913. 



FUNGUS NOTES. 



RECENT JAPANESE WORK ON ENTOMO- 

 GENOUS FUNGI. 



A paper by Kiogo Miyabe and Kaneyoshi Sawada, pub- 

 lished in the Jotirnal of the Colhfje of Agrindture (March 

 1913) of Tohoku Imperial University, deals with the 

 following seven species of fungi found parasitic on scale 

 insects in Formosa: Aichersonia Alet/rodes, Webber; A. Mar- 

 .c/wa/a, EH. etEv.; A. Sinukii&^. n.; Sphaerostilhe coccoiMla, 

 Tul.; Microccra Fujikuroi sp. n., Ophionectria coccicola, (Ell. 

 et Ev.) Berl. et. Vogl.; and 0. tetraspora sp. n. 



Of the above, S. i-oa-opliilti (red-headed fungus) and 

 (C). coccicola (white-headed fungus) are well known in the 

 West Indies. A species of Aschersonia (A. turhinata) also 

 occurs in the West Indies on the mango shield .scale {Coccus 

 iiiangiferae). A. Aleyrodts is reported to occur on white 

 fly in Cuba, most probably having been imported there from 

 Florida, where it is a very common entomogenous parasite. 

 Tet a third species, A. la/iifensis, has been reported from 

 certain localities in the West Indies, among them from 

 Jamaica. 



To return to Miyabe and Kaneyoshi's paper, Ascher- 

 soiiiii Alei/rodes occnrs in Formosa as a parasite on Parlatoria 

 zizip/n (Lucas) Sign., infesting the leaf of Citrus nohilis, Lour. 

 (Mandarin orange). A. marginata lives on Coccus longulus, 

 Dougl, and Parlitotia zi.iphi (Lucas) Sign, infesting the leaf 

 of Citrus nobiUs, Lour., and Psidium gui/am, L. Its dis- 

 tribution is stated to be the Sandwich Islands and Japan. 



A. Su:u/,-ii M. et S. sp. n., is parasitic on the long shield 

 (Coccus longuhis, Dougl.) infesting the living leaves and 

 branches of Citrus nol/dis and Fagara nitida, Roxb. This 

 fungus is closely related to A. Eugeuiae, but the authors 

 regard it as a distinct species. Points of difference between 

 the two forms are given in the paper. It is widely dis- 

 tributed in Japan, and is an effective parasite on scales 

 attacking orange trees. 



Sphaerostillie coccopldla is stated to be the most common 

 entomogenous fungus on scale insects found in Japan. It is 

 extremely rare to find it in its ascosporous stage in Formosa, 

 as well as in other parts of Japan. In only one instance 

 were perithecia met with, that is, on scale insects infesting 

 the tea plant. 



The next fungus dealt with is Microcera Fvjikuroi, 

 M. et M. sp. n. The most remarkable character of this 

 fungus is stated to be its effect on the host, chang- 

 ing the projecting central portion of the scale into 

 a brilliant scarlet colour, which is e.specially intense 

 in the middle, fading gradually towards the periphery. 

 The species is commonly found throughout the island 

 of Formosa, often associated with Microcera coccojihila, 

 Desm., from which it can be easily distinguished. The new 

 species is said to resemble closely some of the Ceylon forms 

 described by Parkin. 



The white-headed fungus {Ophionectria coccicola) occurs 

 widely in Japan — but is not so prevalent as the red-headed 

 fungus — on the following scale insects: Parlatoiia ziziphi, 

 red-spotted, or Florida red scale {Aspidiolus ficus Comst.,), 

 Mytilasjiis gloieii (Pack) Comst., and the purple scale 

 (Mt^tilaspis citricola [Purk.] Comst.) infesting Citrus nohilis. 

 Pioth conidial and ascosporous stages are found. The 

 writers' spore measurements differed somewhat from those 

 of Ellis and Everhart, 



The fungus dealt with last of all is Ophionectria tetras- 

 pora, M. et. S-, sp. n. This is parasitic in Formosa on 

 Parlatoria ziziphi, infesting Citrus notilix. The distinguish- 

 ing characteristic of 0. tetrnsjiora is the production of four 

 conidia on the apical cell of the conidiophore, although there 

 are occasionally cases with three or five. This species, 

 although not so common as 0. coccicola, is still frequently 

 found on the scale insects infesting orange trees in Formosa. 



CONTAMINATION OF SOIL BY THE TOXIC 



PRODUCTS OF PARASITIC FUNGI. 



The hypothesis that fungi— particularly those i)arasites 

 causing root diseases — exert a harmful influence on the roots 

 of cultivated plants owing to the exertion of poisonous pro- 

 ducts, has of late been put forward on several occasion.s in the 

 Af/ricultztral Neivs. This hypothesis has been, to some 

 extent, verified by experiments conducted in Italy. 



According to the Mnntlibj Bulletin of Agricultural 

 Intelligence and Plant Di/eases (April 1913), it appears that 

 soil, especially if it contains clay, can be impregnated with 

 toxic products arising from the decomposition of vegetable 

 organs infected by fungus parasites. 



To avoid the objection that the toxic matter might have 

 been derived from the cells of the host plant, the effect of con- 

 coctions of the fungi {Sclerutiuia Liberit'ina) and Fusarium 

 incarnatiini was studied in connexion with lucerne and the ger- 

 mination of red clover seed. Neutralized unboiled culture 

 liquid of 8. Libertiana caused the death of an entire lucerne 

 plant in one night; when the liquid was heated to 100°C, 

 the same effect was produced in two or three days. Culture 

 liquid of a fresh growth of F. incarnatum hindered the 

 germination of clover seed, but particularly the young roots 

 in the surface soil. 



In general it was concluded that, under field conditions, 

 toxic substances can diffuse in the soil to neighbouring plants 

 and hinder the growth of roots, or prevent the germination 

 of seed. 



It would seem that the above results might possess some 

 significance in regard to root diseases of lime trees in the 

 West Indies. 



Varieties of Sugar-cane in TucutDan, Argen- 

 tina. — In the five years between 1908 and 1912, eighty-two 

 varieties of sugarcane were tested at the above station. The 

 varieties Itoxa 15, Taniarin 21, Bois rouge 26, Cayana 48, 

 Verde de las Antillas 50, Sin nombre 52, Sin norabre 58, 

 Sin nombre 65, Riscada de Santa Barbara 74, and 76 Java 

 234 were distinguished for their sugar content; Cayana Roxa, 

 Verde de las Antillas 50, Sin nombre 52 and 58 and 76 Java 

 234 for their resistance to Jlacillus sacchari (polvillo), though 

 no completely resistant variety exists; the same varieties with 

 the exception of Sin nombre 52, for their relative resistance 

 to the attacks of Diatraea saccharalis (perforador); the 

 varieties Roxa 15, Tamarin 21, Bois rouge 26, Sin nombre 52 

 and 58, Riscada de Santa Barbara 74, and 76 Java 234 for 

 their resistance to sudden falls of temperature, which in 

 Tucuman constitute the chief risk in sugar-cane growing. 



On the whole, 76 Java 234 is, of all the varieties tested, 

 the one most to be recommended. In three analyses of this 

 cane the percentage of saccharose ranged between 11 75 and 

 15, the purity between 83-33 and 8982, and the industrial 

 value from 9'79 to 13'47. (From the .Monthly Bulletin of 

 Agricultural Intelligence and Plant Diseases, May 1913.) 



