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Fungitoxicity of Smoke. D. Zagory, Graduate student, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley 94720, Present address of senior author: Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, Davis 95616; J. R. Parmeter, Jr., professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley 94720. Phytopathology 74:1027-1031. Accepted for publication 2 April 1984. Copyright 1984 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-74-1027.

Smoke from burning wheat or barley straw reduced growth rates of all fungi tested, which included representative phycomycetes, ascomycetes, and basidiomycetes. Gaseous smoke and liquid smoke condensates were equally fungistatic. Low smoke dosages were fungistatic rather than fungicidal, and fungi became tolerant of smoke and were able to grow normally in the presence of smoke condensate deposits. Smoke reduced inoculum of and/or plant infection caused by Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium ultimum, Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei, and Colletotrichum trifolii in greenhouse tests. Smoke was more inhibitory to fungi that cause white-rot than to those that cause brown-rot wood decay. Evidence that phenolic compounds are involved in the fungitoxicity of smoke is discussed.