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The Effect of Leaf Age and Position on the Dynamics of Microbial Populations on Aerial Plant Surfaces

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Aerial Plant Surface Microbiology

Abstract

Epiphytic microbial communities of terrestrial plants are non uniformly distributed in space and in time on leaf surfaces. The size and composition of microbial populations vary under the influence of biotic and abiotic factors related to the micro-organisms themselves (traits conferring epiphytic fitness, nutritional resource utilisation, abilities to compete for space, resistance or production of toxic compounds), to the host (its genotype, the age and the position of the leaves), and to the environmental conditions (micro- and macro-climate, activity of vectors and pathogens, application of pesticides and other chemicals). Moreover, the microbial population dynamics results from four processes -immigration, emigration, multiplication and death of cells as discussed in a previous chapter (Lindow, this volume) — which are under the influence of the previously mentioned factors.

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  1. INRA Station de Pathologie Végétale, Domaine St Maurice, BP 94, 84143, Montfavet cedex, France

    Marie-Agnès Jacques

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  1. Marie-Agnès Jacques
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  1. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Station de Pathologie Végétale, Avignon, France

    Cindy E. Morris  & Philippe C. Nicot  & 

  2. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Station de Technologie des Produits Végétaux, Avignon, France

    Christophe Nguyen-The

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© 1996 Plenum Press, New York

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Jacques, MA. (1996). The Effect of Leaf Age and Position on the Dynamics of Microbial Populations on Aerial Plant Surfaces. In: Morris, C.E., Nicot, P.C., Nguyen-The, C. (eds) Aerial Plant Surface Microbiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-34164-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-34164-4_15

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