Graminicolous powdery mildew fungi as new natural hosts of Ampelomyces mycoparasites

Abstract

The natural occurrence of Ampelomyces mycoparasites is reported for the first time in hyphae, conidiophores, and immature cleistothecia of Blumeria graminis (syn. Erysiphe graminis), the causal agent of cereal and grass powdery mildews. During a 4-year search for Ampelomyces on leaves of different wild and cultivated species of the Gramineae infected with powdery mildews in Hungary, Ampelomyces was recorded in only two samples that represent 5% of the collected monocotyledons. The host plants of B. graminis parasitized by Ampelomyces were Hordeum murinum and Poa pratensis. The pycnidia of Ampelomyces were present in only 3–10% of the powdery mildew mycelia. These observations suggest that (i) the natural occurrence of Ampelomyces mycoparasites on monocotyledons infected with powdery mildews is rare compared with their repeatedly reported incidence on dicotyledons infected with different powdery mildew fungi, and (ii) they probably do not have any significant role in the natural control of B. graminis in the field. Key words: Ampelomyces, Blumeria graminis, Erysiphe graminis, Gramineae, hyperparasitism, mycoparasitism.