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Though there are many different fungi which can and do attack
FIGURE I
Leaf spot caused by Cercospora
odontoglossi, as seen on the topside (above) and the underside
(below) of leaves from a cattleya hybrid.
involved, it will not be long before symptoms appear on the topside of the
leaf as well. Small, yellow spots are typically the first indication of
infection. Next, these spots generally enlarge, and may form patches of
infection (Figure 1 ) . All too soon the infected tissue becomes necrotic,
the spots or patches dark brown or black, and somewhat sunken. With
advanced infections, spotting can cover entire leaves (Figure 2). Such
severe infections inevitably lead to premature leaf drop (Fi gu r e 3). The
actual pattern of spotting resulting from infection varies tremendously
from plant to plant, growing area to growing area, season to season
even for the very same fungus (see Figures 1 and 5). Therefore, in
examining the infected plants pictured here, the reader should not expect
his or her orchids to necessarily react in
FIGURE 2
the same way to the same pathogens. We, as orchid growers, can only
conclude that when our plants become infected by any of the
leaf-spotting fungi, tissue will be destroyed, and photosynthetic
capacity will to some degree be lessened. Unless infection is cheeked,
it can lead to a loss of entire leaves, and ultimately to a reduction in
flowering.
THE CONTROL
a Dendrobium species.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 7
PREVENTION
FIGURE 8
Some fungi are able to force their way into healthy plant tissue, others
through natural openings such as the stomata present for air exchange on the
leaf surface. But a great many infections, particularly by the weaker fungi,
occur where plants are most vulnerable and penetration is the easiest. These
are typically areas where tissue has been previously damaged in some way.
Consider the infection just discussed in FIGURE 8. In this case a weaker,
secondary bacterium took advantage of the wounds caused by a Cercospora
fungus to enter and infect the leaf tissue. Leaf-tip necrosis is a fairly common
problem previously discussed in this series ("Orchid Culture 8
Fertilizing," A.O.S. Bulletin 50(10): 1211) thought to be related to temperature
and nutrient absorption. Whatever the cause, leaf tips are frequently points of
weakness in many orchid genera cultivated. In the case of FIGURE 7, and the
Cattlianthe (Sophrolaeliocattleya) Jewel Box 'Scheherazade', AM/AOS pictured,
cultural factors in all likelihood were responsible for the initial necrosis of the
leaf tip, which in turn provided an easy access for European anthracnose,
considered a weak parasite (Burnett, 1975). Infection and further necrosis of
the leaf then followed. Generally, it can be said that the healthier the plant
tissue, the more resistant it is to disease. Weakened orchids are more
susceptible to the pathogens present in every growing environment. Any
number of factors can reduce the vigor of a plant. Growing orchids which
insist upon cool conditions in a warm environment will weaken them
considerably. For example, those who try to grow masdevallias or
coelogynes have a particular problem during warm, humid (summer)
weather. At such times these orchids are likely to become stressed, unless
cooled, and their leaves, once green, transformed into necrotic, distorted
and ultimately aborted "diseased tissue" (see FIGURE 2).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS