The spatial patterns for temperature distribution on crape myrtle leaves infested with sooty mold were investigated using a digital infrared thermal imaging camera. The mean temperatures of the control and sooty regions were 26.98°C and 28.44°C, respectively. In the thermal images, the sooty regions appeared as distinct spots, indicating that the temperatures in these areas were higher than those in the control regions on the same leaves. This suggests that the sooty regions became warmer than their control regions on the adaxial leaf surface. Neither epidermal penetration nor cell wall dissolution by the fungus was observed on the adaxial leaf surface. It is likely that the high temperature of black leaves have an increased cooling load. To our knowledge, this is the first report on elevated temperatures in sooty regions, and the results show spatial heterogeneity in temperature distribution across the leaf surface.
Keywords: Lagerstroemia indica; sooty mold; thermal imaging.