THE BUD-KOT OF PALMS IN INDIA. 



25*? 



common ii) the rainy period, but very numerous in the hot dry 

 months. Sterile webs of mycelium occur at all times of the year 

 and may often be induced to form sporangia by placing in water for 

 24 hours. More often than not it is in this form only that the 

 fungus exists on the palm sheaths excepting immediately after 

 heavy rain or dew. 



Numerous attempts were made to cultivate the parasite arti- 

 ficially without success. The media used were boiled slabs of pal- 

 myra leaf-sheath, plantain, potato, bread, boiled prune and grape 

 juice and sugar solution, and boiled flies. Zoospores, sporangia and 

 mycelium were used for separate inoculations. In no case did the 

 slightest growth of Pythium palmivorum take place. The fungus 

 is probably an obligate parasite as are nearly all parasites that 

 feed exclusively by haustoria and do not send their hyphse into the 

 cells. This fact has been noted by Matruchot and Molliard for 

 the genus Phytophthora", and is perhaps of wide application. 



VIII .• — Inoculations. 



The following is a detailed account of some of the successful 

 inoculations carried out. Owing to the locality of the disease being 

 about 1,000 miles by rail from his head-quarters, only series III below 

 was carried out by the writer personally. The others were done 

 under his directions and in most cases controlled by subsequent 

 microscopic examination of spirit specimens. Series I was done by 

 his assistants, Mr. S. N. Mitra and Babu R. Sen ; Series II, V and 

 VI by Mr. Sundararaman, Mycological Assistant to the Government 

 Botanist, Madras ; Series IV by Messrs. Mitra and Sundararaman 

 conjointly. 



I. The material used for inoculation was young living myce- 

 lium, bearing sporangia and resting spores. It was obtained from 

 the surface of fresh clean spots on an inner sheath of a recently at- 

 tacked palmyra, and was microscopically pure. The trees inoculated 



1 ;Matnichot L. et M. ^Molliard. Siir le riiytophthoin infestans. Annalcs Mycologici, 

 \".il. I. p. .")4.'J. ]flO:5. H. Kl(0)alin li;is. lidwcvcr. cultivated on artitieial media liis Piiytoph- 

 tlioia .SyiiiigU! wliicli is exclusively iiileieellulai exei'i'l its liaiisloria, (Kraiiklieiteii dcs 

 riiuders, Jjciliii, IMUil.) 



