SEEDLING BLIGHT, A FUSARIAL DISEASE OF ASPARAGUS

Abstract

Incidence of seedling blight in Ontario can be correlated with proximity of mature plantations or with the presence of debris from a previous asparagus crop. As the disease was detected on seedlings grown in soil from "volunteer" plants growing in isolated habitats, the pathogen is considered to be indigenous. The pathogen penetrates directly into the embryonic region of the root tip, or through stomata on the hypocotyl, and colonizes the host both intercellularly and intracellularly. Its limitation to the cortex is regarded as unusual among the parasitic fusaria, which are mainly vascular. The fungus was identified as Fusarium oxysporum sensu Snyder & Hansen var. redolens (Wr.) Gordon. In comparison with F. moniliforme Sheldon, found to cause a root tip necrosis of asparagus seedlings, the cortical Fusarium produced less growth on basal medium plus cellulose but more growth on sucrose, and showed a greater ability to hydrolyze starch. Differing nutrient preferences are suggested as one explanation for the localized types of colonization exhibited by these two fusaria. The optimum soil temperature for disease incidence was established at 25°-30 °C. The effect of temperatures above 30 °C. is considered to be twofold: (1) inhibiting growth of the pathogen and (2) permitting the host to escape by inducing its more rapid emergence. Below 20 °C, the pre-emergence phase of the disease is favored by a retardation of the rate of emergence. Both low and high levels of soil moisture retard emergence and favor pre-emergence blight. Under greenhouse conditions, incidence of the disease usually increased more rapidly when leguminous rather than nonleguminous residues were present in the soil and there was some evidence that the saprophytic growth of the pathogen was more profuse on certain nonliving substrates.