Volume III JUNE, 1916 No. 1 



THE FIG "CANKER," CAUSED BY PHOMA 

 CINERESCENS Sacc. 



By E. S. salmon and H. WORMALD. 



Mycological Department, South-Eastern Agricultural College, 



Wye, Kent. 



(With Plates I and II, and 1 Text-figure.) 



In 1914 complaints were received by the South-Eastern Agricultural 

 College at Wye of serious diseases affecting the plantations of fig-trees 

 in the district of Sompting, Sussex. On a visit being paid in May 

 1914 to the affected plantations, fig-trees of all ages were found to be 

 suffering from fungous attacks of two kinds. A species of Botrytis 

 was found on the tips of the branches, apparently gradually killing them 

 back. This disease is still under observation and will be the subject 

 of a further communication. 



The second disease which occurred was a "canker" of the branches. 

 In some cases, where old trees were badly attacked, numerous " cankers" 

 were found, both on the younger branches, and on the old, main branches, 

 often quite close to the ground. With the progress of the disease, the 

 "canker" area enlarges, until the tissues extending through the branch 

 are killed, with the result that the parts above die. With the successive 

 removal of these "cankered" branches the productiveness of the tree 

 is soon seriously impaired. The majority of the trees in these plantations 

 are of the variety known as "Brown Turkey," but a few are of the 

 "White Marseilles" variety. It was obvious from the effects produced 

 that this "canker" disease was of serious economic importance; it was 

 the opinion of the farmer of the largest fig-plantations that unless the 

 cause of the disease could be discovered and a remedy devised the whole 

 future of Fig-growing in that district was threatened. 



The constant occurrence of a fungus with pycnidial fructifications 

 on the cankered area was noted in the field, and the following notes 

 were made from the examination of the material collected. 



Ann. Biol, in 1 



