Effect of temperature of production of Botrytis allii conidia on their pathogenicity to harvested white onion bulbs

Botrytis allii colonies incubated at low temperatures have been reported to produce larger conidia that germinate faster and give rise to longer germ-tubes than those grown at room temperature. The present study compared the effect of conidia produced at 20 degrees C and at 0 and -2 degrees C on their pathogenicity to artificially inoculated white onion bulbs, and the effect of conidial concentration (5 x 10(3) and 5 x 10(4) conidia/mL) on disease incidence, lesion area, incubation and latent period during storage at 20, 5 and 0 degrees C. At all storage temperatures and periods tested conidia produced at -2 degrees C caused a higher disease incidence and larger areas of rot than those produced at higher temperatures. When the conidial production temperature was raised to 20 degrees C, the duration of incubation on the bulbs inoculated with 5 x 10(4) conidia/mL was more than doubled during storage at 0 degrees C, tripled at 5 degrees C, and took 50% longer at 20 degrees C. The incubation period was not significantly affected by conidial concentration at 20 degrees C, and only slightly at 5 and 0 degrees C, but at low temperatures the latent period was longer because of the delay induced in sporulation. These data are consistent with the packers' opinion that cross-infection of spring onions by long-term refrigerated onions in grading lines caused earlier and heavier rotting.