VIEW ARTICLE

Physiology and Biochemistry

Factors Influencing Teliospore Germination in Tilletia fusca. Mary K. Guillemette, Present address: 147 1/2 North 500 East, Logan, UT 84321; Phytopathology 79:246-252. Accepted for publication 12 September 1988. Copyright 1989 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-79-246.

The influence of cold temperature storage and exogenous nutrients on teliospore germination of 11 isolates of Tilletia fusca was assessed. Storage at 5 C stimulated germination of some isolates when they were incubated at 5 C, both in light and in dark. The relation of cold temperature and light activation to dormancy mechanisms and the significance of dormancy in the life cycle of T. fusca was discussed. Isolates of T. fusca varied in germination responses to water agar, soil extract agar, and media that contained different concentrations of mineral salts, asparagine, and sucrose. Most isolates germinated best on soil extract agar and media that contained low concentrations of mineral salts. Media prepared from extracts of different soils also affected germination responses of many isolates. These isolates usually required potassium, calcium, or phosphorus for maximal germination. Sucrose or asparagine were not required for teliospore germination in T. fusca.