Dec. 3,1917 
Podblight of Lima Bean 
487 
On April 9, 1915, twelve almost mature pods were inoculated by 
inserting spores and hyphae in the usual way with organism 447. The 
plants were too large to place in the infection cage. Seven days later 
the tissue for half an inch or so around the point of infection was visibly 
darker. Three days later some of the pods were withering, and pycnidia 
began breaking through the epidermis X to % inch from the point of 
inoculation. As long as the pods remain firm, the pycnidia form in 
more or less concentric rings; but concomitant with the withering of the 
pods the fungus rapidly invades all the tissue, and pycnidia break through 
the epidermis indiscriminately in a manner shown by Plate 42, C. Eight 
of these pods finally became infected. 
April 20, nine half-grown pods were sprayed with a suspension of 
organism 447 in sterile water and kept in an infection cage for 24 hours. 
These specimens were kept under observation until June 2, but no 
infection had taken place. It is believed that the failure here is again 
due to the relative immaturity of the pods. These results agree with 
those of Pool and McKay (27), who were able to infect only mature 
leaves of sugar beets with Phoma betae (Oud.) Fr. Apparently the writer 
has succeeded in infecting young pods by wounding, but there is reason 
for doubt, owing to the fact that a small wound frequently results in 
serious injury and death of the pod, in which case the fungus quickly 
invades it as a saprophyte. On April 23, spores of organism 447 were 
inserted in five pods, and by June ‘2 pycnidia and spores were abundant 
on three and a few days later on one more, one remaining sound. 
On June 2, pods bearing perithecia which contained mature asci were 
brought into the laboratory and thoroughly washed and disinfected in 
mercuric chlorid. The perithecia were carefully picked out and macer¬ 
ated in sterile water in a watch glass. Twenty-one nearly full-grown 
pods were inoculated by inserting ascospores and bits of broken tissue 
into wounds. Twelve days later thirteen pods showed unmistakable 
evidence of the disease, and by June 21 all but four of the pods were well 
covered with the fruiting bodies. The writer does not claim any proof 
of the connection of the conidial and perfect stage from this experiment. 
It is included here because it forms a link in the chain of experiments 
performed with this organism. The results are justly open to the criti¬ 
cism that spores and hyphae of the imperfect stage may have been 
inserted, and it is not unlikely that such was the case. 
On June 3, 1915, fifteen pods were inoculated in the usual way with 
organism 567. By June 14, pycnidia were abundantly produced over 
an area an inch or more in diameter on ten pods, and on four others 
by June 21. One pod alone remained sound. 
On June 14, seventeen pods were inoculated with organism 598 
(ascospore strain). In four days the tissue around the wound on some 
pods began to darken, showing unmistakable and characteristic symptoms 
of the disease. As the pods were killed by the fungus, they were gathered 
