Biocontrol Science and Technology (1997) 7, 23-36

M.P. McQuilken, S.P. Budge and J.M. Whipps (1997)
Production, survival and evaluation of liquid culture-produced inocula of Coniothyrium minitans against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Biocontrol Science and Technology 7 (1), 23-36
Abstract: Growth of Coniothyrium minitans on potato dextrose broth was compared with that on an inexpensive molasses-yeast liquid medium at 18-22 C in static culture. Biomass and conidial production were, in general, similar, although the rate of biomass production was quicker and conidial production was slightly greater per unit volume of medium in the molasses-yeast medium. Air-dried biomass from molasses-yeast liquid culture containing mycelia, pycnidia and conidia of C. minitans was mixed (12%, w/w) with kaolin to give a kaolin-biomass dust. The ability of C. minitans to survive and subsequently infect and reduce the viability of sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from this kaolin-biomass dust was found to be little affected by storage for 48 weeks between 4 and 15°C but was decreased by higher storage temperatures. The kaolin-biomass dust preparation did not differ from a standard maizemeal-perlite inoculum of C. minitans in its ability to infect sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum or reduce their viability or carpogenic germination in glasshouse and field pot bioassays. Further, when either inoculum was applied once to glasshouse soil naturally infested with S. sclerotiorum prior to planting three successive crops of lettuce, the pattern of disease control, reduction of sclerotial numbers/ plot, infection of sclerotia, reduction of sclerotial viability and survival in soil were similar for both inocula. The potential for the commercial development of liquid-culture-produced inocula of C. minitans is discussed.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Mark P. McQuilken

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
rearing/culturing/mass production
formulation/storage of bioagents

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sclerotinia sclerotiorum	Lettuce (Lactuca)
Paraconiothyrium minitans (antagonist)	Sclerotinia sclerotiorum	Lettuce (Lactuca)