Myrothecium roridum. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].
Abstract A description is provided for Myrothecium roridum. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Plurivorous. On Antirrhinum, Coffea, Cucurbitaceae, Cyamopsis psoraloides, Gardenia, Gloxinia, Gossypium, Hibiscus esculentus, Hypocyrta, Lycopersicon esculentum, Molucella, Sesamum indicum, Solanum melongena, Trifolium pratense, Vigna unguiculata, Vinca, Viola. DISEASE: Commonly causing necrotic lesions or shot holes on leaves but can also occur on petioles, stems and fruit. Small, sometimes water-soaked, lesions increase to about 2.5 cm diam. ; they may be zonate and coalesce, defoliating the plant. On many hosts infection is most serious under nursery or glasshouse contitions. Infection leads to stem lesions, dieback of the crown and decay at soil level; this may resemble typical damping-off symptoms. Stem cankers have been reported on cotton and sunken lesions on the fruit of cantaloupe. On tomato fruit a firm, black rot develops, with a sharply delimited border between healthy and diseased tissue; the rotted part can be removed readily in one piece (25: 345; 35: 19; 36: 528; 41: 199; 44: 1586, 3367; 49: 503). GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Widespread (CMI Map 458, ed. 1, 1969); possibly more serious in warmer regions. TRANSMISSION: Probably a common soil saprophyte, with the capacity to become actively parasitic under conditions not yet clearly definable. Infection of cotton bolls and carpel walls is reported (43, 3382b). Seed of C. psoraloides when inoculated gave only 16% germination compared with 93% for the uninoculated seed.