Dec, 8,1923 
Budrot of Peach Caused by Fusanum 
5ii 
Sour Cherry: 
Nov. 19, 31 per cent of buds on inoculated twigs were dead. Control buds 
were all alive. 
March ii, 19 per cent of buds on inoculated twigs were dead; 4 per cent of the 
control buds were dead. 
It is shown by these results that blossom-buds of the peach, sour 
cherry, and sweet cherry can be attacked and killed by the Fusarium at 
almost any stage of their development even to and at least partially 
including blossoming time, provided favorable conditions of temperature 
and moisture are present. 
In all the experiments, infection occurred at the tip of the bud and 
developed very rapidly, 4 to 5 days usually being sufficient for infection 
and subsequent death of the bud. The killed buds were always black and 
watery within. Sweet cherry buds appear to be much more susceptible 
than those of sour cherry and somewhat more so than those of peach. 
Aderhold, using blossom-buds of the sour cherry in April and May, 
obtained positive results from his inoculation experiments. His work 
was done indoors and the inoculated material was kept in moist chambers. 
Infection took place through epidermal cells of the blossom parts and 
the incubation period was 4 to 6 days in length. He states that infection 
takes place only under moist conditions and shows that in the years in 
which the disease was prevalent the spring rainfall was excessive. 
Data as to the amount of damage caused by this disease are very 
limited. During seasons of heavy rainfall it is possible that damage 
often assigned to other causes may in part, at least, be due to this disease. 
During some seasons there is a high mortality of peach buds following a 
winter apparently free from temperatures low enough to kill them and 
when all other conditions appear to be favorable. In such cases as 
these, seemingly unexplainable, it is possible that Fusarium gemmiperda 
may be involved. Its distribution and the amount of damage caused 
by it are, however, unknown. 
SUMMARY 
A species of Fusarium apparently identical with Fusarium gemmiperda 
Aderhold was isolated from dead peach buds from Georgia. 
A description of the fungus and its reaction to culture media are given. 
It is shown by experiment that under conditions of extreme moisture 
the fungus causes a budrot of the peach, sweet cherry, and sour cherry. 
The disease is probably not of great importance under ordinary con¬ 
ditions, but it is possible that it may cause considerable damage during 
excessively moist weather. Its distribution is not known. 
