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Who Done It? Or what's that brown
fuzzy stuff on my plum? A safe and simple exercise that uses
Koch's postulates to prove that an observed fungus is the cause of fruit
disease. This lesson is suitable for grades 7-12 and does not require the purchase or maintenance of special cultures. Since
the fungus that causes brown rot of stone fruit (e.g., apricots, peaches,
nectarines, plums, cherries) is present naturally on the surface of these fruit,
stone fruit purchased from the supermarket or farm stand will usually develop
the disease. Italian or prune plums are usually the least expensive stone fruit
to buy and work very well in this exercise. The fungi responsible for brown rot
of stone fruit are not human pathogens. This lab requires dissecting and
compound microscopes. A simplified exercise, without cultures, to demonstrate
the Germ Theory also is described.
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by The American Phytopathological Society American Phytopathological Society 3340 Pilot Knob Road St. Paul, MN 55121 e-mail: |