First author: Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster 44691; and second author: Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-7274
ABSTRACT
The effects of partial host resistance, temperature, leaf wetness duration, and leaf age on infection and lesion development of pecan scab were evaluated. Trees of cultivars Wichita (susceptible) and Sumner (resistant) were inoculated with conidia of Cladosporium caryigenum and placed in mist chambers set at 15, 25, or 35°C. The trees were removed from the chambers after 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, or 48 h of leaf wetness and placed in a greenhouse to allow disease development. After 8 to 16 days, disease began to develop on both ‘Wichita’ and ‘Sumner’. Logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of a leaf becoming infected was greatest for ‘Wichita’ it decreased with increasing leaf age and temperature and increased with increasing leaf wetness. Leaves on ‘Wichita ’ were susceptible to infection between 2 and 23 days after budbreak, while leaves on ‘Sumner’ were susceptible to infection from 2 to 18 days after budbreak. Infection frequency, lesion size, and conidia production decreased proportionately with increasing leaf age. The magnitude of this effect was greatest on ‘Sumner’. Conidia production was positively correlated with lesion size, and both were positively correlated with infection frequency on both cultivars.
