ABSTRACT
Snow molds cause damage to plants under snow. While snow cover protects plants from freezing, it maintains darkness, humidity and low temperature. The habitat under snow characterizes the pathogens as opportunistic parasites. Plant photosynthesis is inhibited, and disease resistance decreases with time. Low temperature suppresses the activity of most microorganisms, and only low temperature-tolerant microorganisms can prevail. The most critical issue for snow molds is the duration of snow cover. They have evolved different survival strategies. Biological control is promising so far as low temperature-tolerant antagonists are introduced to the habitat under snow where diversity of active microorganisms is low and a vacant niche is available for the antagonists. Global warming certainly affects the incidence of snow molds but may not reduce snow mold damage since farmers choose to grow more productive but less winter hardy cultivars and crops. Snow molds are not only economically important but represent good materials for biological science due to their unique features.
