Assessment of production and dispersal of inoculum ofAlternaria Macrospora in various parts of the cotton canopy
Morning and evening counts of spores ofAlternaria macrospora in a cotton (Gossypium barbadense) field were assessed for the number of spores (a) produced on the last night, (b) dispersed during the day, and (c) retained in the spore reserve on leaves. Throughout the season, 1 m2 of the field produced (P) and dispersed (D) approximately 163 x 106 and 137 x 106 spores, respectively. The 16% discrepancy between P and D values reflects experimental errors. Most spores were produced on shed leaves on the ground, fewer on leaves in the lower part of the canopy, and least on leaves in the upper canopy. The contribution to total D decreased from leaves in the lower part of the canopy, to shed leaves, and to leaves in the upper canopy. In tests with potted plants with spore-bearing lesions attached to various heights of the canopy under various conditions of weather, dispersal of spores at these heights was conditioned mainly by wind velocity, which decreased from the upper to the lower part of the canopy. In leaves close to the ground, approximately 29% of the released spores were removed by sedimentation to the ground. On any one day, the daily rate of D differed from the daily rate of P. On days in which D was higher than P, the difference was due to a reserve of spores remaining on lesions after dispersal during the previous days. In weather adverse for production of new spores, the reserve was depleted within 4 and 6 days in the top and bottom leaves, respectively, but remained relatively high in the shed leaves on the ground; a similar number of days was needed to restore the depleted reserve in sporulation-favorable weather.
Spore dispersal in Alternaria porri (Ellis) Neerg. on onions in Nebraska
SUMMARY 
In spore-trapping studies in 1965, conidia of Alternaria porri (Ellis) Neerg. were detected in the atmosphere immediately above onions affected by purple blotch disease. On calm summer days, peak conidium concentration occurred between 08.00 and 14.00 hr., few conidia being trapped between 20.00 and 06.00 hr. On windy days, there were marked increases in concentration. Concentration tended to increase with increasing wind velocity. Increased conidium concentrations were also recorded after rainfall and irrigation, and during spraying operations. 
 
Laboratory observations indicate that in A. porri, the attachment of conidium to conidiophore is weakened, if not broken, by movements in the conidial apparatus which occur in response to a decrease in vapour pressure. 
 
Possible causes of fluctuations in atmospheric content of A. porri conidia are discussed.
Germination ecology of Central Asian Stipa spp: differences among species, seed provenances, and the importance of field studies
Stipa-species are wide-spread in Central Asia, but sexual reproduction in the dry steppes is rare. To facilitate conservation and restoration of these important rangelands, we studied germination characteristics of three common Mongolian Stipa-species under field- and lab conditions. Seeds of Stipa krylovii, Stipa gobica and Stipa glareosa were sown at the study site in Southern Mongolia over two consecutive years during which period tests were carried out to ascertain whether competition or herbivory are the main constraints of seedling establishment. In addition, we tested germination and seed viability in the laboratory under two different temperature regimes (20/10°C and 8/4°C), as well as the effect of cold-stratification. The lab experiments also included S. krylovii seeds originating from three climatically different provenances. None of the three Stipa-species seedlings emerged during the first 2 years of the field study. However, after an unusually intense rain event in the third year, 3% of S. krylovii, 0.6% of S. glareosa and 0.1% of S. gobica seeds germinated in the study plots. The factors ‘sowing-year’ and ‘vegetation’ significantly affected seedling emergence, whereas grazing had no effect at all. Under laboratory conditions a high percentage of viable seeds of S. gobica and S. glareosa germinated at both incubation temperatures, and cold-stratification had no effect on germination or viability. Germination of S. krylovii seeds required warmer temperatures and cold-stratification had a positive effect. Such evidence for dormancy was more pronounced in seeds from the moister, northern provenances. Germination of Stipa-species in the field is rare and only possible under exceptionally moist conditions. Conservation should thus concentrate on steppe conservation rather than on restoration. Where artificial reseeding is necessary, differences among species and also among different seed provenances should be taken into account.