Comparative Behaviour of Phytophthora Species in the Secondary Phloem of Stems and Excised Roots of Banksia grandis and Eucalyptus marginata

Abstract

We inoculated excised roots under controlled laboratory conditions and inoculated stems in the field to compare the behaviour of Phytophthora cactorum, P. cambivora, P. cinnamomi A2, P. citricola, P. cryptogea A1 and A2, P. megasperma var. sojae and P. nicotianae var. parasitica in the secondary phloem of Banksia grandis and Eucalyptus marginata. Most of the Phytophthora species grew in excised roots of E. marginata at a similar rate. Of the Phytophthora species with similar rates of growth in E. marginata roots, P. cinnamomi was the only species that consistently grew faster in excised roots of B. grandis than in roots of E. marginata. The growth of the Phytophthora species in excised roots under controlled conditions was significantly correlated with growth in intact stems in the field. Over a range of temperatures between 10 and 25°C, the slope of the temperature-growth response curve for P. cinnamomi in excised roots of B. grandis was greater than that for P. citricola. At temperatures between 27 and 31°C, growth rates of P. cinnarnomi in excised roots of B. grandis were 1 cm or more per day compared with 0.3 cm per day for P. citricola. Differences in growth rate in the roots of the widespread understorey species B. grandis can be important to the epidemiology of a Phytophthora species in the E. marginata forest. Phytophthora cinnamomi with fast rates of growth in roots of B. grandis is more likely to have inoculum in the vicinity of major roots of E. marginata than are Phytophthora species with slow rates of growth.