Standardization of a Mass-Production Technique for Pycnidiospores of Dydymella bryoniae, Gummy Stem Blight Fungus of Cucurbits

박과작물 덩굴마름병 Didymella bryoniae의 병포자 대량 생산 방법의 표준화

Didymella bryoniae, gummy stem blight fungus of cucurbits, has been known not to produce its pycnidium in vitro without irradiation. Various methods for producing pycnidiospores of the fungus as an inoculum have been used. However, those methods have not been verified in terms of efficiency of the productivity, activity and synchronous maturation of the inoculum. Therefore, a pycnidiospore production method in vitro that is highly reliable and reproducible has to be developed to obtain a large amount of inoculum for screening disease resistant varieties or effective fungicides. Here we standardized a mass-production technique for pycnidiospores of D. bryoniae in vitro by comprehensively finding the optimal conditions such as kinds and thickness of cultural medium, growing temperature, and quality and duration of irradiation as well as examining the activity and pathogenicity of the pycnidiospores reproduced. In brief, mycelial colony on the PDA plate was cultured at 26$^{\circ}C$ for 2 days under the darkness, and then the plate was irradiated under the UV light (12 hr/a day) for 2~3 days at the same temperature(26$^{\circ}C$). Two days after UV irradiation, a great number of pycnidia was simultaneously formed. This plate was subjected to darkness again for 4~5 days to mature pycnidiospores. We could obtain a large amount of inoculum that is synchronously matured in a short period of time through the above procedures.