Biocontrol Science and Technology (1998) 8, 301-311

L. Morin, A.F. Gianotti, R. Barker and P.R. Johnston (1998)
Favourable conditions for the bioherbicide candidate Fusarium tumidum to infect and cause severe disease on gorse (Ulex europaeus) in a controlled environment
Biocontrol Science and Technology 8 (2), 301-311
Abstract: The development of the pathogenic fungus Fusarium tumidum on gorse ( Ulex europaeus ), a major weed of pastures and plantation forests in New Zealand, was studied under controlled conditions. F. tumidum , like most other foliar fungal pathogens, requires moisture to infect plants. Long, continuous dew periods ( 24 h) after inoculation of plants provided favourable conditions for infection. The fungus, however, also caused severe disease on young plants (2 months old) exposed to two or three 12-h dew periods interrupted by 12-h dry periods. A delay of 24 h before inoculated plants were exposed to dew did not affect the severity of the disease. F. tumidum infected plants over a wide range of temperatures (5-27IC), but more plants were killed as temperatures increased during the initial infection phase. All gorse plants tested (up to 4 months old) were susceptible to the fungus, but younger plants were more easily killed. Nevertheless, the biomass of older plants that were severely diseased but not killed by the fungus was significantly reduced. The effectiveness of F. tumidum in killing plants increased with the density of inoculum sprayed. The fungus applied at a density of 1 106 conidia/ml killed more than 95% of 1.5-month-old plants. This basic knowledge of the F. tumidum -gorse system will assist in the development of a pilot bioherbicide to control gorse and broom (Cytisus scoparius), another economically important weed in New Zealand which is also susceptible to the fungus.
(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): Louise Morin

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Ulex europaeus (weed)	Grasses/turf/rangeland	New Zealand
	Cytisus scoparius (weed)		New Zealand
Fusarium tumidum (weed pathogen)	Ulex europaeus (weed)	Grasses/turf/rangeland	New Zealand
Fusarium tumidum (weed pathogen)	Cytisus scoparius (weed)		New Zealand