Transfer of Alternaria macrospora from Cotton Seed to Seedling: Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy of Colonization

Alternaria macrospora is transferred from an infected seed, through the plant stem to the cotyledon and sporulates on its surface. However, at the beginning of the process, there is no difference between resistant and susceptible plants. In later stages, lower levels of fungal mycelium and sporulation were detected on the seedlings of a resistant cultivar. The fungus grew inside the plant from the underground to the upper parts. The mycelia which originated from surface spores could penetrate, through stomata and result in leaf colonization. A. macrospora sporulated ultimately on plant surfaces whereas the internal leaf tissue was colonized by mycelium only. This study suggests that cotyledon infection is a result of seed infection.