Postponed germination of Puccinia recondita urediospores deposited on wheat seedlings. II. Infectivity of urediospores after postponed germination

Abstract

Urediospores ofPuccinia recondita f.sp.tritici were applied to wheat seedlings. Inoculated plants were placed in a growth chamber to expose the spores to dry periods from zero to nine days at near-optimal temperatures (ca 18 °C). The dry period was followed by a wet period varying from 2 to 24 hours for germination of spores and infection of plants. Infection results were subjected to analysis of variance. The main effects dry period, wet period, and temperature were highly significant. The dry period×wet period interaction was significant. The interaction implied that the effects of post-detachment, ripening of germinable spores appeared in their resulting infectivity. There were two forms of post-detachment ripening, a slow ripening during the dry period and a faster ripening during the wet period. The two forms of ripening showed a non-additive compensatory interaction. The effect of post-detachment ripening on infectivity of germinated spores was more pronounced at 15 than, at 18 or 20 °C; the effect was strongest during the first day of the dry period. At dry periods of over 6 days, infectivity of germinated spores decreased, especially at the higher temperatures. Prolonged exposure, of spores to a dry period apparently damages the spores even though they are still able to germinate.