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Cultural Characteristics and Host Range of Codinaea fertilis. C. Lee Campbell, Assistant professor, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27650; Phytopathology 72:501-504. Accepted for publication 13 July 1981. Copyright 1982 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-72-501.

Optimum temperature for radial growth of Codinaea fertilis isolates ranged from 24 to 28 C on potato-dextrose agar (PDA). On 13 agar media, radial growth rate among four isolates differed significantly at 28 C; growth on PDA was the most rapid and produced the most dense mycelial growth. Light did not affect the rate of radial mycelial growth on PDA at 23–24 C; however, continuous fluorescent light generally enhanced sporulation (10 to 10⁶ times greater per petri plate) compared to cultures grown in continuous darkness on potato-dextrose, V-8 juice, distilled water, oatmeal, and Czapek-dox agar media. In greenhouse tests, C. fertilis induced root rot in Persian clover, arrowleaf clover, subterranean clover, red clover, crimson clover, white clover, alsike clover, white sweet clover, hop clover, hairy vetch, crown vetch, alfalfa, Korean lespedeza, Kobe striate lespedeza, corn, snap bean, soybean, and garden pea. C. fertilis was isolated from roots of these plants except crown vetch and corn 77 or 82 days after planting into infested soil. The fungus induced no visible symptoms on common bermudagrass, orchardgrass, tall fescue grass, or birdsfoot trefoil; of these, C. fertilis was isolated only from roots of tall fescue grass.