Phenotypic Differences between Isolates of Botrytis Cinerea Pers. from Different Host Plants

Abstract

SUMMARY The pathogenic fungus found throughout the world, Botrytis cinerea Pers. attacks over 250 species of plants and is the main body responsi ble for gray rot of grapes and other fruits and vegetables that can strongly affect crop qualit y and quantity. The attack occurs on all aerial organs of plants: the stems, the leaves, the peduncles and even on smaller floral buds. The affected tissues are covered by a grayish-white coating, consisting of mycelium, conidiophores and conidia. Following the attack, th e tissues soften and dry. In this paper we present the first results obtained in our research. We tried to determine if there are phenotypic differences betwe en isolates of Botrytis cinerea Pers. A total of 12 isolates were collected from different hosts and location and inoculated, on PDA medium, in the centre of the dishes and were incuba ted at 25 o C, in order to produce conidia. The resultant colonies were analyzed for difference s in the rate of growth, the conidia and the sclerotia development, the size and the sha pe of the macroconidia and the number and the distribution of the sclerotia. In our study we have measured the length and width of 100 conidia from Botrytis cinerea Pers., isolated from five grape varieties (B abeasca gri, Feteasc a regala, Frâncu �a ,