180 



LEAF AND SEEDLING DISEASES 



-a 



I. A, Sporangiophore of 



with a suitable seedling, it settles down and germinates with 

 a germ tube which forces its way into the seedling at some 

 point where two epidermal cells touch each other. The 

 germt ube then branches and quickly forms a mycelium 

 which may spread through a considerable part of the host. 

 Sporangiophores and sporangia are produced in a few days 



and a new cycle is commenced. 

 In this way the disease may 

 spread very quickly and 

 whole seed-beds may be com- 

 pletely exterminated in a 

 very short time. 



The fungus has a special 

 means of perennation, i. e. 

 living over the winter . Certain 

 hyphae inside the seedling* 

 become swollen at the ends 

 and form female organs. 

 Other hyphae by the side of 

 >rangmm these become converted into 



A fusion takes 



place, and a large spore, 

 called the oospore, is formed 

 inside the female organ. 

 This oospore puts on a very thick wall, and contains 

 sufficient food material to live through the winter. In the 

 spring it divides up into a number of swarm-spores like 

 those which are set free from the sporangium. 



Attacked seedlings show dark patches, especially near 

 the surface of the ground, and quickly collapse. Remedial 

 measures will be considered after the other damping off 

 fungus has been described. 



Fusoma parasiticum, Tub., also attacks the seedlings of 

 nearly all species of conifers. Like the last fungus, it causes 

 dark patches and the collapse of the seedlings. In damp 

 weather a greyish mycelium appears on the outside of 

 attacked parts, and this mycelium bears slightly curved 

 septate conidia (fig. 73, B). These are genuine conidia, and 



young sporangium ; c, sj 



ready to fall. B, Conidiophore of 



Fusoma parasiticum: a, short male organs. 



hyphae bearing conidia ; &, young, 



unseptate conidium ; c, mature, 



septate conidium. 



