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First Report of Aerial Blight Caused by Pythium myriotylum on Tomato in Florida

In September 1996 and 1997, diseased tomato seedlings were observed with symptoms of an aerial watery rot on leaves, petioles, and stems. Tomato cvs. Sanibel and 10097 from commercial fields in southwest Florida (Collier and Lee counties) and west central Florida (Manatee County) exhibited similar symptoms that occurred at an incidence of 15 to 18% about 4 weeks after transplanting and resulted in plant death. Microscopic examination of symptomatic tissue revealed the presence of mycelium and oogonia typical of Pythium spp. A fungus was consistently isolated from four plants sampled from each site onto a medium selective for Pythium spp. and maintained in pure culture on V8 juice agar at 28°C. The isolates were identified as Pythium myriotylum Drechs. based on the following morphological data: lobate sporangium, 12 to 13 μm wide; vesicle 15.4 to 19.4 μm in diameter; exit tube 54 to 90 μm long, oogonium 23 to 30 μm in diameter; and oospore 21 to 26 μm in diameter (1,2). Pathogenicity tests were conducted with two isolates from diverse regions within Florida by spray inoculating the leaves and shoots of 6- to 8-week-old tomato seedlings with a sporangial suspension of 1 × 10⁴ sporangia per ml. Noninoculated plants served as controls. Plants had 24 h of pre- and post-dark period, day/night temperatures of 28/21°C, a 14-h photoperiod, and near 100% relative humidity in a growth chamber. The foliage of inoculated tomato plants exhibited symptoms identical to those observed in field samples 24 h after inoculation and 100% mortality within 72 h. The reisolated fungus was morphologically identical to the original isolate. Noninoculated plants remained asymptomatic. The unusual rainfall recorded at some sites, such as in Manatee County in September 1997, was 36% higher than the 40-year average and may have contributed to the incidence of this previously undescribed foliar blight.

References: (1) Anonymous. C.M.I. Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria No. 118. (2) T. Watanabe. Pictorial Atlas of Soil Fungi. Lewis Pub., London. p. 71.