An Inoculation Apparatus for Evaluation of Bipolaris sorokiniana Lesion Development on Progressively Older Leaves of Poa pratensis

Abstract

The inoculation method facilitated evaluation of lesion development and disease severity. Lesion numbers were based on leaf area measurements, and different lesion types were used to quantify disease severity. The 3rd youngest leaf of a shoot was least susceptible to infection and its disease severity rating was lower than that of other leaves. Lesion development and disease severity were greatest on the oldest inoculated leaves. This technique should expedite the study of leaf age-facultative parasite interactions.