Symptom expression and ethylene production in leaf blight of cotton caused by Alternaria macrospora and Alternaria alternata alone and in combination

The interaction between the cotton leaf pathogens Alternaria macrospora and Alternaria alternata was studied using dual inoculation at dosages (≈ 103 spores/(mL ∙ pathogen)) that did not produce symptoms with either pathogen alone. This dual inoculation produced the typical disease symptoms (spots and shedding) and disease severity similar to inoculation with 104 spores/mL of A. macrospora alone. Neither pathogen produced ethylene in culture; however, they induced production of ethylene concentrations by diseased tissue that were correlated to both disease severity and leaf shedding. Plants infected by both pathogens produced the highest concentration of ethylene. Leaf discs either from leaves exhibiting symptoms or from symptomless infected leaves produced similarly high concentrations of ethylene. Inoculation of any site of the leaf with A. macrospora alone or with both pathogens resulted in shedding of the leaf. Pretreating inoculated plants with several ethylene inhibitors or an auxin decreased ethylene production, disease severity, and leaf shedding. Alternaria alternata apparently triggers symptom expression by A. macrospora in leaf blight disease of Pima cotton, and disease is manifested by the production of ethylene that leads to the typical leaf shedding symptom. Key words: Alternaria macrospora, Alternaria alternata, cotton leaf blight, defoliation, ethylene, fungus – fungus interaction, leaf spot of cotton, symptomless infections, virulence.