ABSTRACT
In a field experiment, the viability of Botrytis squamosa sclerotia in soil was quantified. One hundred sclerotia were multiplied by mycelial smear technique on PDA culture medium and were placed in bags made of voile fabric. In a wooden frame containing soil, 12 replicates were respectively placed on the soil surface and buried at 10 cm depth. Every month, the bags were removed from each position, washed in tap water and subjected to compression with the finger to check if they were kept intact. Intact sclerotia were sterilized with 70% ethanol for one minute, 1.25% sodium hypochlorite during three minutes and sterile water for washing; then, they were deposited on plates containing PDA culture medium and placed in a growth chamber at 20° C without light. Three days after incubation, germinated sclerotia were counted. The collected sclerotia both on the surface and buried lost their viability after eight months. The sclerotia of B. squamosa on the surface tend to lose their viability earlier than the buried ones.
Keywords
resting structure; longevity; viability
