A Consideration Of The Physiology And Life History Of A Parasitic Botrytis On Pepper And Lettuce

During the autumn of 1911, while gathering the peppers (Capsicum) in the vegetable plat of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the writer observed a fungus which was appearing as a parasite on the fruits. The peduncles were covered with a dark brown mass of conidia and mycelium, which so weakened the tissues that the fruit soon fell to the ground. On opening the peppers a number of large, flat, crust-like sclerotia, 1 cm. long and .5 cm. wide, were found to fill the interior. In most cases the seeds were also covered with the crust-like masses. The conidial stage was identified as Botrytis cinerea Pers. (Botrytis vulgaris Fr.). Although Botrytis cinerea has been observed parasitic on a large number of hosts, this is the first time it has been reported as a parasite on the peppers