Colonization of Bean Flowers byEpicoccum purpurascens

Emerging flowers, newly opened flowers, and senescent flowers of bean were sprayed with conidial suspensions of Epicoccum purpurascens, then sampled at 4, 8, 12, 24, and 96 h. The number of conidia per square millimeter of tissue surface was greater on newly opened or senescent flowers than on emerging flowers. Germination of conidia was greater on senescent petals than on younger tissue. However, conidia applied to emerging flowers germinated sufficiently such that resultant hyphae were able to completely colonize flowers as they senesced (...)