Some effects of fungi on bracken prothalli

Morrison, Robert (1963) Some effects of fungi on bracken prothalli. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The first part of the thesis reports the development of techniques for the study of Interrelational variation In susceptibility of prothalli to attack by Botrytis cinerea. This involved the eatablishment of Suitable conditions for growth in aseptic culture, the establishment of clonal populations hy proliferation of prothall and the establishment of consistent inoculation and disease-reoording techniques. The seoond part of the thesis reports the study of the inter-clonal variation in resistance. This was shown to he associated both with resistance to infection, and with resistance to spread of the disease from Infected sites. The third part of the thesis reports a detailed study of some aspects of the host-pathogen relationship of prothalli of two selected clones which differed in resistance to the fungas. A detailed study of the Morphology of infection in both clones was made. This gave some Indication that the differences were likely to be associated with the reaction of the walls of the cells. The effects of agaeous extracts of uninfected and infected cells of both clones on the germination of the spores and the growth of the germ tubes of the pathogen were studied. No evidence of any differences in reaction to cell extracts was seen. This, of course, does not discount the possibility of the existence of some difference in the intact, living cytoplasm. The reaction of the wall to the engyme, protopeetinase, produced by the fungas in vitro was Investigated but no differences were found between the clones which differed In susceptibility to the pathogen. A study of the nature of the cell wall by electron microscopy was carried out. This part of the work provided the first known record of the presence of ectodesmata In bracken prothalll and their possible implication in the Infection process is discussed. New Information of the detailed reaction of the wall is given, but no differences which could be consistently related to the variation in resistance were seen.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: S A Hutchinson
• Keywords: Microbiology
• Date of Award: 1963
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1963-73960
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• Last Modified: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/73960