Fig. 6. Local infection with Z. tritici promotes systemic dissemination of the fungus.

a Percentage of leaf area covered by lesions (PLACL) throughout infection of cultivar Obelisk with Z. tritici (Zt) IPO323. b Number of pycnidia of Zt per cm² leaf of cultivar Obelisk as in (a). c The picogram (pg) fungal DNA/nanogram (ng) total DNA measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro–Wilk test of normality followed by a Wilcoxon rank-sum test for null hypothesis. ns not significant. Number of biologically independent replicates: Zt-mock (n = 3), mock-Zt and Zt–Zt: 0–6 dpi (n = 12), 8–12 (n = 12), 14–16 (n = 12).