Relation of the Barberry to Stem Rust in Iowa I
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Volume 4 Number 57 Relation of the barberry to stem rust in Article 1 Iowa January 1920 Relation of the barberry to stem rust in Iowa I. E. Melhus Iowa State College L. W. Durrell Iowa State College R. S. Kirby Iowa State College Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/researchbulletin Part of the Agriculture Commons, and the Plant Pathology Commons Recommended Citation Melhus, I. E.; Durrell, L. W.; and Kirby, R. S. (1920) "Relation of the barberry to stem rust in Iowa," Research Bulletin (Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station): Vol. 4 : No. 57 , Article 1. Available at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/researchbulletin/vol4/iss57/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Bulletin (Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station) by an authorized editor of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. January, 1920 Research Bulletin No. 57 Relation of the Barberry to Stem Rust in Iowa By I. E. Melhus, L. W . Durrell and R. S. Kirby AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION IOWA STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND MECHANIC ARTS BOTANY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY SECTION AMES, IOWA lSZ IOWA AGRICULTURAL EXPERiMENT STATION OFFICERS AND STAFF Raymond A. Pearson, M. S. A., LL. D ., President C. F. Curtiss, M. S. A., D. S., Director W, H. Stevenson, A. B., B . S. A., Vice-Director AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING J. B . Davidson, A. E., Chief E. B. Collins, B. S. in A. E., B. S. in \V. A. J.' U.:::ilt:l" • .1...>. :S. in Ed., B. Arch., Agron., Assistant Assistant AGRONOMY W. H. Stevenson, A . B ., B . S. A., H . W . Johnson, B . S., M . S., Assist- Chief ant in Soils H. D. Hughes, B. S .. M. S. A ., Chief Paul Emerson, B. S ., M . S., Ph. D., in Farm Crops Assistant Chief in Soil Bacte P. E. Brown, B . S ., A. M., Ph. D., riology Chief in Soil Chemistry and Bac teriology George E. Corson, B. S., M. S., As L . C. Burnett, B. S. A., M. S., Chief sistant in Soil Survey in Cereal Breeding M. E. Olson, B. S., M . S .. Field Ex L . W . Forman, B. S. A., M. S., Chief periments in Field Experiments H . P. Hanson. B. S., Field Experi John Buchanan, B. S. A., Superin mentR tendent of Co-operative Experi T. H. Benton, B. S., M. S., Soil Sur mpnt~ veyor F. S. Wjlkins', Assistant Chief in H . J. Harper, B. S .. Soil Surveyor Farm Crops J. A. Elwell. B . S.. Soil Surveyor ANIMAL HUSBANDRY H . H . Kildee. B . S. A ., M . S .. Chief M. D. Helser, M . S ., A ssistant Chief J. M . Evvard. M. S., Assistant Chief in charge of Meat Investigations in Animal Husbandry and Chief in Earl Weaver, M. S., Assis tant Chief Swine Production in Dairy Hus bandry H. A. Bittenbender. B. S. A ., Chief in Poultry Husbandry R. Dunn. B. S. A., Assistant A. C. McCandlish, M. S., Chief in C. C. Culbertson, B . S.. Supe rin Dairy Husbandry tendent A. R. Lamb, M. S., Chief in Nutri C. E. Biederman, B . S., Assistant tion P. S. Shearer, B. S ., Assistant Chief in charg'e of Animal Breeding ' H. D. Van Matre, B. S. A., Assistant BACTERIOLOGY R. E. Buchanan, M. S., Ph. D ., Chief; Associate in Dairy and Soil Bacteriology BOTANY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY L H. Pammel, B. Agr., M . S., Ph. D., 1. E. Melhus, B. S., Ph. D., Chief in Chief Plant Pathology Charlotte M . King, Assistant Chief J. C. Gilman, B . S ., M. S., Ph. D ., Assistant Plant Pathologist CHEMISTRY A. W . Dox, B. S., A. M ., Ph. D ., A. R. Lamb, B. S., M. S ., Assistant Chief Lester Yoder, B. S., M . S., Assistant W . G. Gaessler, B. S., M. S ., Assis t a nt Chief DAIRYING M. Mortensen B. S . A., Chief W . A . Cordes, B. S. in Dairying, B . W. Hammer, B . S. A ., Chief in Assistant in Dairy Bacte riology D a iry Bacteriology ENTOMOLOGY E. D . Ball, B. S., M . S., Ph. D., Wallace Park, B . S ., A ssistant in Chief Apiculture F. A. Fenton, B. A., M. S., Ph. D., A ssis t a nt Chief in Entomology FARM MANAGEMENT H . B . Munger, B . S., Chief O. G. Lloyd, B. S., M. S ., Assistant Chief HORTICULTURE AND FORESTRY S. A. Beach. B . S. A., M. S., Chief A . T. Erwin, M. S., Chief in Truck Crops T. J. Maney, B. S ., Chief in Pomology Rudolph A . Rudnick, B. S., Assistant Harvey L . Lantz, B . S., Assistant in Truck Crops Chief in Pomology G. B. MacDonald, B. S. F .. M . F., Chief in Forestry W . E. Whitehouse, B . S., Assistant Frank H. Culley, B. S. A., M . L. A., in Pomology Chief in Landscape Architecture RURAL SOCIOLOGY G. H. Von Tungeln, Ph. B., M. A., Chief VETERINARY MEDICINE C. H . Stange. D. V. M., Chief GENERAL OFFICERS F. W . Beckman, Ph. B ., Bulletin Bess Dobson, Assistant Bulletin Editor Editor RELATION OF THE BARBERRY TO STEM RUST IN IOWA By 1. E. Melhus, L. W. Durrell, and R. S. Kirby. It has been definitely known since 1865 that the European barberry is the alternate host of stem rust (Puccinia gmminis) ; .\·et the exact relation of this shrub to the annual appear!11Jce of stem rust of our grains and grasses is not well und,'r~tood. rrulasne brothers (18) (1847), de Bary (1) (1865) and others rarly described and figured the morphology of teleutosp0rc germination. They gave little considerati.on, however, to the questions as to what environmental conditionil influence such ;!,m·mination and the production, dissemination, viability and growth of the sporidia,-conditiom; that have a fundamental bearing on serious attacks of stem mst. A review of the literature leaves much information still to be desir.ed regarding the manner of infection of the alternate host, the suceptibility of young and old leaves and of the differ ent varieties and species of the genus Berberis, the incubation period, and the influence of climatic factors on aecidiospore pro duction. Of no less importance, locally at least, is the prevalence and distribution of the European barberry and its relation to the development of serious local and general epidemics of stem rust. It is the purpose of this bulletin to record data and observa tions on the above factors which have influenced the epi.demi ology of stem rust in Iowa during the past three years. SOURCE OF lIIATERIAL AND METHODS EMPDOYED. The teleutospore germination studies here recorded were be gun by the senior author in the spring of 1910 and continupd during 1911 at Madison, Wis. Other work made it impossible for him to take up this problem again until the spring of 1916. In these studies teleutospores of Puccinia graminis on wheat., quack grass (Ag1'opyron repens) , western wheat grass (A. Smithii) and oats and Pnccinia phlei-pratensis on timothy were used. Teleutospores of P. graminis taken from quack grass and western wheat grass were used most extensively. Plots of quack grass and western wheat grass on the right-of-way of the Chi cago and Northwestern railroad heavily infected with stem rust were marked in the fall by means of stakes driven into the Note: The authors wish to express their appreciation [o r sug-g-estion3 and financial support extended by Dr. H. B. Humphrey, in charge of in vestigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. Acknowledgements· are also due to Dr. H . S. Conard. botanist, Grinnell College and Dr. L. H. Pammel, botanist, Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, for helpful ~ ui4· g-e ~tions and a ssistance in g-athering the data recorded in this bulletin. -284- grollnd. Teleutospore material was gathered from these plots as needed for the germination tests. Short sections were cut from 11<1, to 1 cm. in length and % to 1 mm. in width from the standing straw bearing the spores. These fragments, after being moistened, were placed on glass slides so that a film of water surrounded the spores. When re- • moved from the straw the teleutospores did not germinate well, a fact that was probably first noted by the Tulasne brothers (1847) and later by de Bary (1865). The slide, with fragments of straw, was then held in a petri dish on a piece of moist filter paper until germination took place. In addition to the water cultures, a non-nutrient agar was sometimes used as a coating for the slide to supply the moisture. In still other cases the spore material was suspended over agar in petri dishes. When large numbers of sporidia were desired for infection experiments, infected straw was moistened and held in a large glass chamber. Within three to four hours large numbers of the spores had germinated and produced sporidia. If allowed to lie in a moist chamber over night at ordinary room temper ature those pustules in which the teleutospores had germinated were easily discerned. A' glistening w hi te growth formed a blanket over the pustules, as shown in fig. 1. By examination of these with a hand lens or binocular the mass of promycelia could readily be seen, often bearing some sporidia that had not as yet been discharged. Unless these sporidia were gathered within 24 hours, they were of little value for infection experi ments. EXPERIMENTAL DATA ON TELEUTOSPORE GERM INATION. The teleutospore material already described was subjected to a variety of conditions as to humidity and temperature. Fur thermore, the influence of season and state of maturity was considered and also the production and germination of sporidia.