Colonization of adult lettuce plants by Bremia lactucae

Studies were made of the infection by Bremia lactucae of a range of lettuce cultivars at the adult plant stage, under conditions of artificial and natural epidemic. The pathogen invaded at least the ten oldest leaves of many cultivars, the leaf area affected declining from the oldest to the youngest leaves. Two assessment methods were compared: (1) the percentage area infection on individual leaves and (2) the percentage area infection on the inverted basal area as a whole. Results from the two methods agreed closely under conditions of artificial inoculation and in a natural epidemic. It is concluded that both methods should be used for detailed studies, but method 1 restricted to the oldest five leaves. At least two assessment dates are required since on individual cultivars there were differences in the leaf area infected at various assessment dates. This is probably influenced by the cycle of growth and sporulation of B. lactucae and by the effects of invasion by secondary pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea.