Pathogenicity of fungi associated with winter loss and injury in white lupin

Fungi isolated from diseased white lupin plants were tested for pathogenicity in standardized glasshouse tests to assess their potential as causes of plant death in winter in autumn-sown crops. Pleiochaeta setosa and, to a slightly lesser extent, Fusarium avenaceum caused lesions or plant death when inoculated onto hypocotyls of lupin seedlings. Disease was more severe when the hypocotyls were wounded before inoculation. F. avenaceum also caused injury when inoculated onto roots; wounding the roots had no effect. Some isolates of F. solani also caused injury, especially after root inoculation, but isolates of F. oxysporum and Cylindrocarpon destructans were only slightly or non-pathogenic. Isolates of Fusarium and C. destructans, but not of P. setosa, differed in pathogenicity. There were differences in susceptibility to disease among three lupin cultivars.