10.3 



Fungous Enemies of the Sweet Potato in Indiana. 

 By C. a. Ludwig. 



In the sprint; of I'.ill, tlic w Liter ))ei;;;u an iuvestigati(Jii to tletenniiie 

 the causal oi'ganisni <if a dry rot wliich does daurLi.i:;e to sweet [)otatoes in 

 stia-a.^e at ids lionie in Franklin County, Indiana. The worlv was contin- 

 ued the Idlldwinu- wiuler as thesis work for a baccalaureate degree at 

 i'urdue l"iii\ei'sity : and as no siteeial .study of the fungi affecting sweet iio- 

 tatoes in Indiana could lie found, the suh.ifct was enlarged in scojie to take 

 in all the fungi <if Iiuliana which are known to alfect stored sweet 

 potatoes. A nunilier tyf forms whieli Iiave been suggested as the cause of 

 de'-ay, and some n(»t thus previously associated have been studied; and 

 certain notes concerning them may not be without interest, in spite of tlie 

 fact that the primary cause of tlie dry rot still remains in doubt. The work 

 was carried on in the botanical laboratories of the I'uidue Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, and the writer wislies to acknowledge his indel»ted- 

 ness to the members of the botanical staff and to a numljer of other 

 friends for various assistance. 



The following fungi were found to affect stored sweet potatoes in 

 Indiana : 



PlIYCOMYCETES. 



J'liizopiis spp. 



ASCOMYCETES. 



Xrrfrid ffxiiixKi Hals. 



Pcnicilliinii spp. 



Did port lie huidtath Ilarter and Field. 

 Fungi Imperfecti 



Sjih(rione)iui piiibriat iiiii (Ell. and Hals. | Sacc. 



F II sari II III spp. 

 Elilzopus niijricfuis Ehr. is the cause of a soft rot of sweet potatoes 

 when they are Ivept too damp. It was determined as the cause of soft 

 rot in some specimens from Tip]iecanoe County. Some other species of 

 Rhizopiis were also isolated from potatoes affected with soft rot, a circum- 

 stance whicli makes it probable that they may also be the cause of a soft 

 rot when conditions are favorable for their growth. 



