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Disease Detection and Losses

Disease Losses in Carnations Infected with Gibberella zeae. R. W. Stack, Former graduate student, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, Present address of senior author: Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102; R. K. Horst(2), P. E. Nelson(3), and R. W. Langhans(4). (2)Associate professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; (3)Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802; (4)Professor, Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Phytopathology 69:307-311. Accepted for publication 6 October 1978. Copyright 1979 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-69-307.

Three crops of carnations were grown under conditions similar to those in commercial greenhouses. Young plants were inoculated with conidial suspensions of Gibberella zeae when pinched, and typical symptoms of Fusarium stem rot developed. Flowers were cut as in a commercial crop. Infection by G. zeae significantly reduced the number of flowers and their quality, based on a standard grading system for carnations. Inoculated plants required as much as 2 wk longer than noninoculated plants to produce a flower crop.