The effects of inoculum dose, duration of wet period, temperature and wound age on infection by Nectria galligena of pruning wounds on apple

Abstract

Four experiments were conducted with potted trees of several apple cultivars to study the effects of several factors on the incidence of canker and the length of the incubation period following the inoculation of pruning cuts with conidia of Nectria galligena. These factors included wound age (the interval between pruning and inoculation), inoculum dose and environment (wet-period temperature and duration). The most important factors affecting the incidence of canker and the incubation period were inoculum dose, cultivar and wound age. Low inoculum dose resulted in low incidence of canker. The incidence of canker decreased as the age of the pruning wound increased. The incubation period lengthened with low inoculum dose and increasing age of the wound. The degree of resistance related to the age of the wound varied with cultivar; likewise, it also varied with the time of year, but this was not due to temperature alone. On fresh wounds, the incidence of canker and the incubation period were not affected by temperature during the wet period. The effect of duration of wetness on canker incidence was significant in only one out of three experiments: the longer wet periods resulted in a slightly lower incidence on fresh wounds. In another experiment, wet periods longer than 2 h resulted in shorter incubation periods. The results are discussed in relation to wound healing.