Temperature-Growth Relations and Genetic Diversity of A2 Mating-Type Isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi in Australia

Abstract

Determinations of cardinal temperatures for growth on various media of 50 Australian isolates of Phytophthova cinnamomi showed that growth did not occur outside the range 5-35°C. The range of temperatures at which growth optima occurred varied according to the isolate and medium used and encompassed the whole range of values reported by overseas authors.

Growth rates of 361 isolates on corn meal agar at 25°C varied within the range 4.7-10.5 mm/day. There was no correlation between optimum temperature and whether isolates were slow- or fastgrowing or their place of origin. Fast-growing isolates (6-11 mm/day) were obtained from all States, but slower-growing isolates (<6 mm/day) were obtained only from southern and western regions of Australia. Populations from different regions of Australia exhibited different growth rate parameters.

The variability of mycelial isolates in culture was studied by examining differences in growth rate among replicated parent, single-zoospore, single-zoosporangium and single terminal-hyphal isolates. Extensive variation was found among first generation single-zoospore progenies of field isolates, with lesser variation among progeny of single zoosporangia, terminal hyphal cultures and second and third generation zoospore derivatives. The origin of this variation is discussed and it is suggested that field isolates are heterokaryotic, since zoospores proved to be predominantly uninucleate.

When various Phytophthora species were incubated at temperatures above those at which growth was possible and then returned to 25°C, their subsequent ability to resume growth depended on the particular time-temperature combination used. Considerable variation of response was found among a number of isolates of P. cinnamomi and, following the establishment of single zoospore isolates, the potential variability of field isolates was shown to persist through successive generations of zoospore propagation. It is suggested that a cytoplasmic mechanism of inheritance may be responsible for this variation.