Infection and colonisation of white clover seedling roots by fungi

Abstract

Five soil-borne fungi isolated from white clover roots were tested for their pathogenicity on young clover seedlings under glasshouse conditions. Three of these fungi: Codinaea fertilis Hughes & Kendrick, Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc., and Thielaviopsis basicola (Berk. & Br.) Ferraris were capable of invading roots and producing root rot symptoms on seedlings grown in Pawson Hill and Tasman soil-sand mixtures. Microscope studies show that the host root tissues are infected and colonised to different extents, and also that host defence mechanisms operate to limit the internal spread of the pathogen.

Keywords:

• Trifolium repens
• white clover
• fungi
• soil fungi
• plant diseases
• host plants
• host resistance