Déterminisme de la reproduction sexuée de Phaeosphaeria (Leptosphaeria) nodorum, agent de la septoriose du blé. I. Hétérothallisme et rôle des microspores

Abstract

Recently identified conditions for in vitro perithecia formation made it possible to demonstrate the existence of previously suggested heterothallism in Phaeosphaeria nodorum. Of the 28 possible pairwise crosses between the eight cultures derived from the spores of a single ascus, 9 were fertile, whereas none of the cultures ever produced fertile perithecia on their own. This result is smaller than the one obtained in classical bipolar heterothallism and suggests the existence of another incompatibility mechanism. The growth and the colour of mycelia derived from eight single ascospores from the same ascus seem to cosegregate with the factor for heterothallism. The formation of microspores in colonies from single ascospores indicates that they may play a role in the formation of perithecia. Used for fertilization, these microspores showed that they were able to bring the complementary nucleus, thus enabling the differentiation of perithecia. However, they are able to germinate and do not behave strictly as spermatia. Key words: Phaeosphaeria, Leptosphaeria nodorum, heterothallism, microspores.