Podosphaera leucotricha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Podosphaera leucotricha |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Podosphaera
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| Species: |
leucotricha
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| Synonyms | |
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Albugo leucotricha (Ellis & Everh.) Kuntze, (1892) |
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Podosphaera leucotricha is a plant pathogen that can cause powdery mildew of apples and pears.
Importance
A net-like russeting can cut the value of fruit in half and with some orchards spraying up to 15 times per growing season the economic losses from P. leucotricha are high.
Hosts and symptoms
Powdery mildew, caused by the obligate biotrophic ascomycete Podosphaera leucotricha, is one of the major diseases of cultivated apple throughout the world. The primary host is apple, but other fruit like peaches and quince provide a host for Podosphaera leucotricha. A list of host plants/species affected includes Cydonia oblonga (quince), Malus (apple), Prunus persica (peach), Prunus domestica (plum), Pyrus (pears), and Mespilus germanica (medlar). On apples, the fungus affects twigs, foliage, blossoms, and fruits of current season growth. Infected plants are characterized by reduced photosynthesis and transpiration, resulting suboptimal carbohydrate assimilation and reduced growth.
Podosphaera leucotricha causes a range of symptoms. On stems, symptoms include wilting and discoloration. Wilting and leaf curling occur on leaves. Symptoms of the inflorescence include discoloration (non-graminous plants), dwarfing, stunting, and twisting. On fruit symptoms include net-like russeting and deformed fruit. Depending on the stage in the disease cycle, symptoms vary. The primary blossom mildew emerges at pink bud stage. Flowers are deformed with pale green or yellow petal and are covered in white mycelium and spores. The secondary mildew may have lesions that appear as chlorotic spots on the upper leaf surface. Symptoms of the secondary mildew also included distorted leaves and premature falling of leaves.
See also
In Spanish: Podosphaera leucotricha para niños
