Effects of temperature and leaf age on conidial germination and disease development of powdery mildew on rubber tree

Powdery mildew is an important disease of rubber trees worldwide. To assess the effects of temperature and leaf age on conidial germination and disease development, conidia were inoculated onto rubber tree seedlings with leaves at three phenological stages (copper bronze, colour‐changing, and light green) and then incubated at six constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C). Leaf age did not affect conidial germination (p = .296) whilst temperature did (p < .0001), although conidia were able to germinate at all tested temperatures. The estimated optimal temperature for conidial germination was 23.2°C. Leaf age, temperature, and their interactions had significant effects on conidial infection and hypha number (p < .0001). At 10 and 35°C, more than 2 and 4 days were needed for infection to complete, respectively, compared to <2, 1, 0.5, and 0.5 days for 15, 20, 25, and 35°C, respectively. Sporulation and mildew symptoms were only observed on those inoculated leaves of all stages at 20 and 25°C, and at the copper bronze stage only at 15°C. The latent period on the copper bronze leaves at 15°C was longer (9 days) than at 20 and 25°C (4 days). The latent period at 20 and 25°C increased from 4 to 7 days as the leaf development stage increased from copper bronze to light green. Therefore, temperature affected germination and postgermination growth of rubber tree powdery mildew, whereas leaf age primarily affected postgermination growth of the pathogen.