Initial events in the establishment of cereal powdery mildew infection

Abstract

Like spores of many fungi, conidia of Blumeria graminis, the powdery mildew fungus of cereals, release extracellular material. It is released within seconds where conidial surface projections touch a leaf. This ECM is probably adhesive since centrifugation showed that forces greater than those due to normal wind speeds are needed to displace conidia. Also, ECM release is probably involved in rapid sensing of substratum contact, leading to germ tube emergence close to the contact site. Thus, ECM release apparently confers at least two benefits to pathogen survival.