`Gutbier V-14 Glory' poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. Ex. Klotzsch) grown with ebb-and-flow irrigation used the least amount of water and produced the least runoff, and plants grown with capillary mats used the greatest amount of water and produced the most runoff, compared to microtube and hand-watering systems. The maximum amount of water retained by the pots and media was greatest for the microtube and ebb-and-flow systems and became progressively lower for the hand-watering and capillary mat systems. The media and leachate electrical conductivity from plants grown with subirrigation systems was higher than those grown with top irrigation. For the two top-irrigation systems (microtube and hand-watering), plants grown with 250 mg N/liter from a 20N-4.4P-16.6K water-soluble fertilizer had greater leaf, stem, and total dry weights than those grown with 175 mg N/liter. The two subirrigation systems (ebb-and-flow and capillary mat) produced plants that were taller and had greater leaf, stem, and total dry weights when grown with 175 than with 250 mg N/liter. The higher fertilizer concentration led to increased N, P, Fe, and Mn concentration in the foliage. Nitrogen concentration was higher in top-irrigated plants than in subirrigated plants. The ebb-and-flow system produced the greatest total dry weight per liter of water applied and per liter of runoff; capillary mat watering was the least efficient in regard to water applied and runoff.

Phytophthora cinnamomi isolates collected from 1977 to 1986 and 1991 to 1993 in two regions in South Africa were analyzed using isozymes. A total of 135 isolates was analyzed for 14 enzymes representing 20 putative loci, of which four were polymorphic. This led to the identification of nine different multilocus isozyme genotypes. Both mating types of P. cinnamomi occurred commonly in the Cape region, whereas, predominantly, the A2 mating type occurred in the Mpumalanga region of South Africa. A2 mating type isolates could be resolved into seven multilocus isozyme genotypes, compared with only two multilocus isozyme genotypes for the A1 mating type isolates. Low levels of gene (0.115) and genotypic (2.4%) diversity and a low number of alleles per locus (1.43) were observed for the South African P. cinnamomi population. The genetic distance between the Cape and Mpumalanga P. cinnamomi populations was relatively low (D(m) = 0.165), and no specific pattern in regional distribution of multilocus isozyme genotypes could be observed. The genetic distance between the "old" (isolated between 1977 and 1986) and "new" (isolated between 1991 and 1993) P. cinnamomi populations from the Cape was low (D(m) = 0.164), indicating a stable population over time. Three of the nine multilocus isozyme genotypes were specific to the "old" population, and only one multilocus isozyme genotype was specific to the "new" population. Significant differences in allele frequencies, a high genetic distance (D(m) = 0.581) between the Cape A1 and A2 mating type isolates, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, a low overall level of heterozygosity, and a high fixation index (0.71) all indicate that sexual reproduction occurs rarely, if at all, in the South African P. cinnamomi population.

von Broembsen, S. L., and Deacon, J. W. 1997. Calcium interference with zoospore biology and infectivity of Phytophthora parasitica in nutrient irrigation solutions. Phytopathology 87:522-528.Calcium, applied as either CaCl 2 or Ca(NO 3 ) 2 to water or calcium-free soluble fertilizer solution (Peters 20-10-20 Peat Lite Special), affected several important stages of Phytophthora parasitica zoospore behavior relevant to infection and disease spread. Release of zoospores from sporangia was suppressed by Ca 2+ concentrations in the range of 10 to 50 meq. These concentrations also curtailed zoospore motility; 20 meq of Ca 2+ in fertilizer solution caused all zoospores to encyst within 4 h, whereas 94% of zoospores remained motile in unamended solution. In addition, Ca 2+ in the range of 10 to 30 meq stimulated zoospore cysts to germinate in the absence of an organic nutrient trigger, while suppressing

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