Biocontrol Science and Technology (2002) 12, 413-425

J.C. Sutton, W. Liu, R. Huang and N. Owen-Going (2002)
Ability of Clonostachys rosea to establish and suppress sporulation potential of Botrytis cinerea in deleafed stems of hydroponic greenhouse tomatoes
Biocontrol Science and Technology 12 (4), 413-425
Abstract: The ability of Clonostachys rosea to establish and persist in deleafed tomato stems and to suppress sporulation potential of Botrytis cinerea was investigated in plots of hydroponic tomatoes in commercial greenhouses. Leaves near lower fruit clusters were removed according to standard practice and deleafed portions of the stems were treated with C. rosea, iprodione or water. Inoculum of B. cinerea was from natural infections. Stem lesions were not produced by the pathogen during the trials. Development of C. rosea and B. cinerea in stems was estimated indirectly by quantifying sporulation on excised stem tissues that were incubated on an agar medium containing paraquat. Incidence and area of sporulation of C. rosea on tissue pieces were high (76-99%) and moderately high (33-79%), respectively, when stems were treated with the agent at 0, 6, 24 or 48 h after deleafing and sampled 11 to 75 days later. In various instances, the agent also sporulated on tissues from water controls and iprodione treatments, apparently after interplot transmission. In most instances, incidence and area of sporulation of B. cinerea on tissue pieces were high (83-100%) and moderate to high (35-76%), respectively, in the water controls, but moderate (31-44%) and moderate to low (5-34%), respectively, for stems treated with C. rosea at 0 to 48 h after deleafing and sampled after 11-75 days. Without exception, C. rosea suppressed B. cinerea as or more effectively than iprodione. Correlations between inoculum density of C. rosea (0-10⁶ conidia mL^-1) and sporulation potential of B. cinerea in deleafed stems were strongly negative in each of three tests (r = -0.95 to -0.99). Conidial suspensions and a talc formulation of C. rosea were of similar effectiveness against B. cinerea. We conclude that C. rosea persisted and suppressed sporulation potential of B. cinerea in deleafed tomato stems for at least 11 weeks after application.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): John C. Sutton

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
application technology
evaluation - screening - selection

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Botrytis cinerea	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Clonostachys rosea (antagonist)	Botrytis cinerea	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)