Survival of Endocronartium harknessii teliospores in a simulated airborne state

Abstract

The effects of temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the survival of Endocronartium harknessii teliospores and the longevity of these spores out of doors during daylight hours were studied. In one experiment, fresh and liquid-nitrogen-stored spores of E. harknessii were impacted onto spider webs or plastic threads and incubated in darkness at temperatures of 6, 15, and 24 °C and RHs of 39 and 98%. Survival was measured after 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 days. Spore longevity decreased with increasing temperature and was lower at 98 than at 39% RH. In a second experiment, spores were impacted onto spider webs and placed out of doors on clear days. Viability decreased linearly with time and averaged 33% after 12 h. The data suggest that E. harknessii has relatively good ability to survive in an airborne state and thus would have considerable potential for long distance spread.