BOTRYTIS CINEREA, CAUSE OF DIFFERENT DISEASES IN TULIPS

Besides the host-specialized Botrytis tulipae, the common grey mould Botrytis cinerea is capable of infecting tulips as well.
Dependent on whether bulb, roots, sprouts or flowerbud are attacked, completely different diseases develop.
Infested plants are mainly found in tulips grown indoors for flower production, and rarely in bulb cultivation.

Changes in the way of forcing tulips have resulted in an increased occurrence of these diseases and at present Botrytis cinerea is one of the major problems.

A number of factors influence the incidence of bulb infection by Botrytis cinerea:

• the type of substrate: tulips grown in peat and steam-sterilized substrates, respectively, were infected more frequently than those grown in sand and unsterilized substrates.

• storage temperature and duration of storage: the longer the duration of storage at 20°C, the more tulips became infected.

• re-use of peat substrate results in a strong reduction or even elimination of the problem; probably in such previously used ‘old compost’, antagonistic fungi are prevalent which prevent Botrytis cinerea from attacking tulip bulbs.
  Addition to fresh peat substrate of Acrophialophora levis, Penicillium sp., or Trichoderma sp. led to a reduction in the percentage of infected bulbs.

V International Symposium on Flower Bulbs

P.J. Muller

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1990.266.60