Plant Pathology Journal1812-53871812-5425Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/ppj.2010.144.148Penicillium solitum Conidial Germination, Mycelial Growth and Polygalacturonase Activity]]>VicoIvana Jurick IIWayne M.CampMary J.JanisiewiczWojciech J.ConwayWilliam S.3201093Penicillium solitum causes blue mold on apples during storage which results in economic losses. Information pertaining to growth and decay caused by this pathogen is important for developing disease control strategies. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of temperature on decay caused by P. solitum in apples, fungal growth in culture and quantitatively and qualitatively assayed polygalacturonase (PG) activity. Decay was evident only on apple fruit incubated at 20°C following 21 days incubation. However, decay developed when apples were moved from low temperatures (0, 5 and 10) to 20°C, which shows that the inoculum was viable following cold exposure. P. solitum viability at low temperature was confirmed as decay developed on inoculated apples following incubation for 3 months at 0°C. Lower temperatures reduced conidial germination and mycelial growth on PDA, which may explain the delay in decay development in inoculated fruit which was stored at 0, 5 and 10°C. Crude extracts from P. solitum decayed apple fruit tissue possessed detectable PG activity using the qualitative plate assay at 20°C but not at 0, 5, or 10°C. However, a quantitative method for determining in vitro PG activity using purified enzyme was observed at 0, 5, 10 and 20°C and decreased with temperature. Although, P. solitum is able to decay apple fruit following prolonged cold storage, low temperature is beneficial as it delays lesion development by affecting various factors of pathogen virulence.]]>Adaskaveg, J.E., H. Forster and N.F. Sommer,20022002pp: 535pp: 535Bateman, D.F. and H.G. Basham,19764316355Bateman, D.F. and R.L. Millar,19664119146Brooks, C. and J.S. Cooley,19178139163Gross, K.C.,198217933934Jurick, II, W.M., I. Vico, J.L. McEvoy, B.D. Whitaker, W. Janisiewicz and W.S. Conway,2009Penicillium solitum-decayed golden delicious apple fruit.]]>99636641Niture, S.K.,200863119Pilnik, W. and A.G.J. Voragen,19911991pp: 303-336pp: 303-336Pitt, J.I., R.A. Spotts, R.J. Holmes and R.H. Cruickshank,1991Penicillium solitum revived and its role as a pathogen of pomaceous fruit.]]>8111081112Rosenberger, D.A.,19901990pp: 54-55pp: 54-55Rosenberger, D.A.,19971997pp: 8484Shieh, M.T., R.L. Brown, M.P. Whitehead, J.W. Cary and P.J. Cotty et al.,1997Aspergillus flavus in cotton bolls.]]>6335483552Spotts, R.A., L.A. Cervantes and E.A. Mielke,19998310511054Walton, J.D.,199410411131118Wu, C.H., H.Z. Yan, L.F. Liu and R.F. Liou,2008Phytophthora parasitica.]]>21480489Dennis, C. and J.M. Blijham,1980Rhizopus and Mucor species.]]>748994Phillips, D.J.,1982Monilinia fructicola in response to incubation temperature.]]>7212811283Tamm, L. and W. Fluckiger,1993Monilinia laxa.]]>8313211326Tian, S.P. and P. Bertolini,1995Botrytis allii in culture and on its pathogenicity to stored garlic bulbs.]]>4410081015Tian, S.P. and P. Bertolini,1999Monilinia laxa on conidial size, germination and infection of stored nectarines.]]>147635641