Primary Infection of Barley by Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei in Relation to Leaf-Age Dependent Resistance and the Roles of the Epidermis and Mesophyll in this Resistance

Abstract The infection frequency of both compatible and incompatible races of Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei decreased gradually with increasing leaf age on undetached primary barley leaves. The length of secondary hyphae of the compatible race was approximately the same regardless of age, but secondary hyphae were slightly longer on younger seedlings than on older seedlings in the case of the incompatible race. Both the infection frequency and length of secondary hyphae of the two races weredistinctly different. On composite sections produced by exchanging the epidermal layers of young and relatively mature primary leaves, the infection frequency of the compatible race was higher on the epidermis of young leaves than on the epidermis of older, leaves, regardless of which mesophyll was under the epidermis. The epidermis appears to play a major role in age-dependent resistance, while the mesophyll may act disparately by providing a factor promotive to mildew infection in addition to supporting the resistance function of the epidermis.