Abstract
The interactions ofBotrytis cinerea and seven biological control agents (BCAs) were examined in controlled environments to determine the influence of selected relative humidities (RH) (90,95, and 100%) and air temperatures (20,24 and 28 ‡C) on grey mold of bean. All main effects and interactions were significant (P≤0.05) among the 72 treatments. In the control, lesions of grey mold developed under all environmental conditions but were largest at 24 ‡C×95 and 100% RH, and 28 ‡C×95% RH. Interactions of environment, BCAs and grey mold were complex.Alternaria alternata, Drechslera sp.,Myrothecium verrucaria, Trichoderma viride, Gliocladium roseum and an unidentified pink yeast were all highly dependent on environment for biological control efficacy, and changes of 4 ‡C or 5% RH were associated with variability in disease suppression that ranged from ≤ 15 to 100%. Efficacy ofEpicoccum purpurascens appeared independent of environment and this BCA suppressed disease by 100% in all of the environmental treatments. Suppression of grey mold by many of the BCAs was most effective under environmental conditions least conducive to disease. Therefore, evaluations of potential BCAs in environmental conditions that are marginal for disease can overestimate their efficacy in field environments. Assessments of biological control efficacy in various environments can be used to more accurately assess the potential of BCAs.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Agrios GN (1978) Plant Pathology. Academic Press, New York, 703 pp.
Baker KF (1946) Observations on someBotrytis diseases in California. Plant Disease Reporter 30: 145–155
Bhatt DD and Vaughan EK (1963) Inter-relationships among fungi associated with strawberries in Oregon. Phytopathology 53: 217–220
Bisiach M, Minervini G, Vercesi A and Zerbetto F (1985) Research on protection againstBotrytis in viticulture using microbial competitors. Difesa delle Piante 8(4): 429–439
Boland GJ and Hunter JE (1988) Influence ofAlternaria alternata andCladosporium cladosporiodes on white mold of bean caused bySclerotinia sclerotiorum. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 10: 172–177
Boland GJ and Inglis GD (1989) Antagonism of white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) of bean by fungi from bean and rapeseed flowers. Canadian Journal of Botany 67: 1775–1781
Bulger MA, Ellis MA and Madden LV (1987) Influence of temperature and wetness duration on infection of strawberry flowers byBotrytis cinerea and disease incidence of fruit originating from infected flowers. Phytopathology 77: 1225–1230
Burpee LL (1989) The influence of abiotic factors on biological control of soilborne plant pathogenic fungi. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 12: 306–317
Dubos B, Roudet J, Bulit J and Bugaret Y (1983) L'utilisation duTrichoderma harzianum Rifai dans la pratique vitiole pur lutter contre la pourriture grise (Botrytis cinerea Pers.). Les Colloques de l'INRA 18: 289–296
Hannusch DJ, James TDW, Gillespie TJ and Boland GJ (1994) Simple and inexpensive control of relative humidity in a flow-through environmental chamber. Environmental and Experimental Botany. In press.
Harman GE, Chet I and Baker R (1981) Factors affectingTrichoderma hamatum applied to seeds as biocontrol agents. Phytopathology 71: 569–572
Horsfall JG and Cowling EB (1978) Phytopathometry: the measurement of plant disease. In: Horsfall JG and Cowling EB (eds) Plant Disease: An Advanced Treatise Vol. II (pp. 120–135) Academic Press, New York, 436 pp
Inglis GD (1989) Biological control of white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) on aerial surfaces of bean with fungi isolated from flowers. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 135 pp
Inglis GD and Boland GJ (1992) Evaluation of filamentous fungi isolated from petals of bean and rapeseed for suppression of white mold. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 38: 124–129
Jarvis WR (1962) The infection of strawberry and raspberry fruits byBotrytis cinerea Fr. Annals of Applied Biology 50: 569–575
Jarvis WR (1977)Botryotinia andBotrytis species: Taxonomy, Physiology, and Pathogenicity. Monograph No. 15. Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture Research Station, Harrow, ON, Canada, 195 pp
Jarvis WR and Nuttall VW (1981) Cucumber Diseases. Agriculture Canada Publication Publ. No. 1684
Mercier J and Reeleder RD (1987) Interactions betweenSclerotinia sclerotiorum and other fungi on the phylloplane of lettuce. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 65: 1633–1637
McLean MM (1988) The microflora of strawberry in relation to biological control of grey mold fruit not caused byBotrytis cinerea Pers.exFr. M.Sc. Thesis. University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, 106 pp
Morgan WM (1984) The effect of night temperature and glasshouse ventilation on the incidence ofBotrytis cinerea in a late-planted tomato crop. Crop Protection 3: 243–251
Nelson PV (1978) Greenhouse Operation and Management. Reston Publishing & Company Incorporated. Reston, Virginia, USA
Nelson ME and Powelson ML (1988) Biological control of grey mold of snap beans byTrichoderma hamatum. Plant Disease 72: 727–729
Peng G and Sutton JC (1990) Biological methods to control grey mold of strawberry. Proceedings of the Brighton Crop Protection Conference, Pests Diseases, Volume 1, pp 233–240
Peng G and Sutton JC (1991) Evaluation of microorganisms for biocontrol ofBotrytis cinerea in strawberry. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 13: 247–257
Redmond JC, Marois JJ and MacDonald JD (1987) Biological control ofBotrytis cinerea on roses with epiphytic microorganisms. Plant Disease 71: 799–802
Snedecor GW and Cochran WG (1980) Statistical methods. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, USA
Tezuka N, Ishii M and Watanabe Y (1983) Effect of relative humidity on the development of grey mold of tomato in greenhouse cultivation. Bulletin of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops Research Station A (Ishinden-Ogoso) 11: 105–112
Tronsmo A and Dennis C (1977) The use ofTrichoderma species to control strawberry fruit rots. Netherlands Journal of Plant pathology 83(Suppl. 1): 449–455
Tronsmo A and Ystaas J (1980) Biological control ofBotrytis cinerea on apple. Plant Disease 64: 1009
Zhou T and Reeleder RD (1990) Selection of strains ofEpicoccum purpurascens for tolerance to fungicides and improved biocontrol ofSclerotinia sclerotiorum. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 36: 754–759
Zhou T and Reeleder RD (1991) Colonization of bean flowers byEpicoccum purpurascens. Phytopathology 81: 774–778
Zhou T, Reeleder RD and Sparace SA (1991) Interactions betweenSclerotinia sclerotiorum andEpicoccum purpurascens. Canadian Journal of Botany 69: 2503–2510
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hannusch, D.J., Boland, G.J. Interactions of air temperature, relative humidity and biological control agents on grey mold of bean. Eur J Plant Pathol 102, 133–142 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01877100
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01877100