Disease Cycle and Morphology
S. solani is the anamorph stage and reproduces primarily through the production of conidia on conidiophores. Once produced, disease is thought to spread quickly to additional hosts via either mycellium when leaves of adjacent plants are touching or conidia, which can spread through rain or air. S. solani is also believed to be spread via infected seed. Conidia can cause several stages of secondary infection throughout the growing season but infection is most severe following early fruiting. The teleomorph stage of Stemphylium is Pleospora. Sexual ascospores form under cold conditions but natural occurrences have not been documented. Instead, conidia and mycelia overwintering in plant debris are believed to serve as the primary inoculum.
S. solani grown in potato sugar agar (PSA) culture are characteristically slow growing and darken with age, first to a yellow-brown color after 4 days and then red. Conidiophores grow as long as 170 µm in length with a swollen apex and one to three transverse septa.
Read more about this topic: Stemphylium Solani
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