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Survival of Phytophthora infestans Sporangia Exposed to Solar Radiation

The effect of solar irradiance (SI) on the viability of sporangia of isolates belonging to two clonal lineages, US-1 and US-8, of Phytophthora infestans was assessed. Exposure during a 3-h period on sunny days (SI > 600 W/m²) drastically reduced germination regardless of the time of day of the exposure. After 1 h of exposure on sunny days, the viability of sporangia decreased by ≈95%, and the effective time necessary to inactivate 95% of the sporangia was 1.1 h. The effective dose to inactivate 95% of the sporangia on sunny days was 2.6 MJ/m². On overcast (SI < 300 W/m²) days, survival after 3 h was reduced only slightly. Thus, other variables being equal, sporangia will survive hours longer in the atmosphere on cloudy days than on sunny days.