Influence of Temperature and Wetness Periods on the Development of Stemphylium Blight on Lentil

Stemphylium blight of lentil (Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris) caused by Stemphylium botryosum has become more prevalent in the Canadian prairies. Germination of conidia, appressorium formation, and infection of lentil plants were evaluated under controlled conditions at temperatures from 5 to 30°C and increasing incubation periods under wet conditions to elucidate the epidemiology of this disease. On glass slides, conidial germination increased steadily with temperature up to 25 and 30°C, and reached more than 80% after 20 h at these temperatures, compared with around 30% at 5°C. The response of germination on glass slides to temperature was nonlinear, as evident in significant linear, quadratic single factor, and linear, quadratic, and cubic cross factor temperature effects in the model. On lentil leaves, 18% of conidia had germinated after 2 h of incubation at 25°C, and a few germ tubes penetrated into the tissue through stomata. Germination reached 89% after 12 h, and 12% of germ tubes had penetrated into the leaves. Stemphylium blight severity reached more than 80% at 25 and 30°C with leaf wetness periods of 48 h. A simple logistic model with linear temperature, leaf wetness period, and cross factor effects described disease development on lentil plants.