Pathogenicity of four <em>Pythium</em> species to wheat, barley, peas and lentils.

Pythium heterothallicum, P irregulare, P. torulosum and P. ultimum var. sporangiiferum were compared for pathogenicity to seedlings of winter wheat, spring barley, lentils and peas in growth chambers at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 C. These four fungi are among the most commonly isolated Pythium species from wheat roots and wheat-field soils in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, USA, where wheat, spring barley, lentils and peas are grown in various rotations. Pathogenicity was determined in artificially infested soils (500 propagules per g) based on ability to cause pre-emergence death and post-emergence stunting of seedlings. P. ultimum var. sporangiiferum caused significant pre-emergence death only of peas and only at 5 C. With the possible exception of lentils at 25 C, P. heterothallicum and P. torulosum caused no pre-emergence death of any of the four plant species. None of the species caused pre-emergence death of spring barley. P. ultimum var. sporangiiferum caused the most post-emergence stunting of wheat, peas and lentils at 10 C and above. Pythium irregulare caused as much or more stunting than P. ultimum var. sporangiiferum on wheat, lentils and peas at 5 C, and was the most pathogenic species on barley at 10, 20 and 25 C. P. irregulare caused significantly more post-emergence stunting of wheat at 5 C with than without chaff (added as a food base for the pathogen); this was not offset by adding ammonium sulphate with the chaff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]