This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

Declining infestations and the cyclic appearance of Phymatotrichum root rot of cotton from season to season led to the suggestion that antagonistic microorganisms were the cause of this phenomenon. This study was concerned primarily with Actinomycetes spp., fluorescent Pseudomonads, Trichoderma spp., and other fungi. There was a continuous fluctuation in the population of Actinomycetes spp. and fluorescent Pseudomonads on the surface of strands. Populations of these antagonistic organisms dropped as the viability of strands of P. omnivorum decline. Comparison of the rhizoplane microflora from infected and healthy roots showed no relationship between the populations of Actinomycetes spp. and fluorescent Pseudomonads and the resistance of healthy roots to invasion by P. omnivorum. Similarly, soil samples collected from areas with declining infestations and assayed for populations of Actinomycetes spp. and fluorescent Pseudomonads, revealed no differences in the populations of these antagonistic organisms. This indicates that the absence of the disease in areas with declining infestations is not due to the microorganisms investigated in this study. Higher mortality rates of strands of P. omnivorum occurred when strands were exposed to Actinomycetes spp. and fluorescent Pseudomonads or to their metabolites. The hyphal deformation observed on strands from the field could not be reproduced in vitro. The same antagonistic microorganisms sprayed on cotton roots containing strands failed to reduce strand viability.

Eight "sterol-inhibiting" fungicides were evaluated for in vitro activity against Phymatotrichum omnivorum, and all proved to be very active (EC-50 values ranged from 0.001-0.038 ug/ml). Propiconazol received the major emphasis of this research, which included evaluations of phytotoxicity, soil persistance, resistance development, systemic translocation in cotton, and field evaluations for control of Phymatotrichum Root Rot of cotton. Although propiconazol significantly inhibited mycelial growth of P. omnivorum (in vitro) at concentrations as low as 0.0001 ug/ml within 96 hr, hyphal growth from sclerotia was not affected at 0.1 ug/ml within the same time frame. However, after 168 hr, or if sclerotia were pre-germinated for 120 hr before exposure, growth inhibition was comparable to that of the mycelial cultures. It was speculated that the greater level of sterols in sclerotia masked the inhibition of sterol synthesis by propiconazol until these sterol reserves were depleted. After 5 exposures to propiconazol over a 5 mo period, mycelial growth inhibition was the same as that of mycelium with no previous exposure. This indicated that resistance development should not be an immediate concern. Greenhouse evaluations of phytotoxicity and soil persistance of propiconazol determined that this fungicide can severely stunt cotton if planted into treated soil. Using stunting of seedlings as a bioassy of the persistance of propiconazol in non-sterilized soil, it was found that propiconazol was still active 3-5 mo after the initial soil treatment. Through the application of C-14 labeled propiconazol to the leaves of 5 and 8-wk old cotton plants, it was determined that no more than 0.23% of the applied radioactivity was translocated to the roots. However, based upon these percentages, root weights of the plants, and the amount of propiconazol applied to each plant during a field application, the theoretical concentration in the roots would be 30-700X the in vitro concentration necessary to inhibit mycelial growth of P. omnivorum (EC-50 = 0.003-0.006 ug/ml). Field evaluations of propiconazol were conducted in 1982 and 1983, while etaconazol, triadimefon, triadimenol, imazalil, and XE-779 were evaluated in 1983. These evaluations determined that propiconazol, etaconazol, and triadimenol showed promise for control of this disease, while imazalil, triadimefon, and XE-779 did not. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maxium length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI

Water relations in cotton plants infected with Phymatotrichum omnivorum were studied to determine the mechanism of wilt development. Relationships between leaf water and osmotic potentials, relative water contents, and diffusive resistances of leaves from diseased and waterstressed healthy plants were similar, indicating that wilting was not due to changes in leaf osmotic regulation. Rates of recovery from wilting, measured as increases in relative water content with time in both diseased and waterstressed healthy plants were identical. There was no significant difference in root dry weight of healthy and diseased plants, indicating that wilting is not a consequence of reduced root area. Resistance to water flow in roots and lower stems increased significantly over those of healthy plants as upper leaves of diseased plants began to wilt. However, resistance to water flow in petioles of diseased plants was unchanged. These results show that wilting in cotton plants is probably the consequence of increased resistance to water flow in roots. Results of a preliminary study indicate that a high-molecular-weight substance produced by the fungus in culture may cause blockage of xylem elements in roots and lower stems and contribute to the increased resistance to water flow.

No description available.

No description available.

The occurrence of the cotton root rot fungus, Phymatotrichum omnivorum (Shear) Duggar, in sharply defined, localized areas in certain fields led to the suggestion that there may be a specific soil chemical factor which limits the spread of the fungus. The available sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents of infested and adjacent noninfested soils in 13 fields were determined and compared. At seven sites, there were no significant differences in cation contents of infested and adjacent noninfested areas (p = 0.05). Available sodium levels were higher in infested areas at three sites, and higher in noninfested areas at three sites. Potassium and calcium levels were higher in the infested area at one site, and higher in the noninfested areas at two sites. Magnesium levels were higher in the noninfested areas at three sites. Contrary to previous reports, the fungus was found to cause severe disease in soils with available sodium contents as high as 4.2 milliequivalents per 100 g soil. Applications of sodium chloride at rates ranging from 1800 to 4000 kg/ha did not reduce disease severity or increase yield significantly in ten field trials.

No description available.

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.