Evaluation of soil solarization for control of root diseases of row crops in Victoria

The effect of soil solarization on the viability of plant pathogens and disease was evaluated in Victoria. The treatment was tested in NW and S Victoria with natural soil inoculated with high inoculum levels of Eusarium oxysporum, Plasmodiophora brassicae, Sclerotium cepivorum, Sclerotinia minor, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Verticillium dahliae and the nematodes Meloidogyne javanica and Pratylenchus penetrans. Other experiments were established at sites with a previous history of disease.
Solarization of artificially inoculated soils reduced inoculum levels to at least a depth of 10 cm and effectively controlled diseases caused by P. brassicae on broccoli, and S. minor and S. sclerotiorum on lettuce. The treatment reduced inoculum levels but not disease of carnations and watermelons affected by E. oxysporum , tomatoes affected by M. javanica , celery affected by P. penetrans , and onions affected by S. cepivorum. Results were inconclusive for tomatoes affected by V. dahliae.
Experiments in naturally infested soils established that solarization reduced disease and increased yields of Chinese cabbage affected by P. brassicae , celery affected by P. penetrans , lettuce affected by S. minor and watermelon affected by root rot.
Solarization reduced disease of onions affected by S. cepivorum but did not significantly increase yield. At all sites the treatment reduced the number of viable propagules of the pathogens to at least a depth of 10 cm.     

Disease Progress Based on Effects of Verticillium dahliae and Pratylenchus penetrans on Gas Exchange in Russet Burbank Potato

ABSTRACT The interactive effects of concomitant infection by the nematode Pratylenchus penetrans and the fungus Verticillium dahliae on symptom expression in Russet Burbank potato was studied in growth chamber experiments. Treatments were P. penetrans at three initial densities, V. dahliae at one inoculum density, the combination of the nematode at these three densities and the fungus, and a noninfested control. Gas exchange was measured nondestructively in leaf cohorts of different ages, one to three times weekly, with a LI-COR portable photosynthesis system. The single-pathogen treatments had no effect on assimilation or transpiration rates, but joint infection had a significant impact. In concomitant infection, photosynthesis was impaired more than transpiration, so estimates of leaf health were based on carbon assimilation rates only. Reductions in assimilation rate were apparent before the onset of visual symptoms. Assimilation rates decreased as much as 44% in the top, and newest, leaves of concomitantly infected plants, compared to rates in control plants. Even so, the health of newly produced leaves did not become progressively worse through time. With light use efficiency less than 0.20 mol of CO(2) fixed per mol of photosynthetically active radiation used as the criterion for disease incidence, disease progressed acropetally from the oldest to the youngest leaves. In plants infected with P. penetrans (0.8 nematodes per cm(3) of soil) in combination with V. dahliae, all leaves in cohorts 1 and 2 were symptomatic by 45 days after planting, and leaves in cohorts 3 to 6 became symptomatic at weekly intervals thereafter. For the control and single-pathogen treatments, the first time that light use efficiency fell below 0.20 in all leaves in cohort 1 was 71 days after planting. Concomitant infection reduced leaf life span by about 3 weeks. Both visual and physiological symptom expression were invariant to differences in initial nematode inoculum densities ranging from 0.8 to 2.5 nematodes per cm(3) of soil in one experiment and from 1.3 to 4.1 nematodes per cm(3) of soil in a second experiment.     

Theoretical approach to the dynamics of the inoculum density of Verticillium dahliae in the soil: first test of a simple model

A mathematical equation was developed that describes the inoculum densities of microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae in the soil over a long time span. The equation was based on measurable parameters and ecologically meaningful principles. In the model, the number of systemic infections of plant roots during crop growth was related to soil inoculum density. In turn, formation of microsclerotia in debris and reduction of the amount of crop growth were related to the number of systemic infections. Finally, a gradual release and mortality of microsclerotia in the soil were included to calculate subsequent inoculum densities in the soil.
Fitting the function to experimental data of potato cvs Element, Ostara, Mirka and Astarte, flax, pea, barley, sugar beet, onion and faba bean gave a very high correlation between observed and predicted soil inoculum densities. The clear differences in inoculum production among potato cultivars and other crops were expressed in quantitative terms. The highest inoculum density after incorporation of the debris of a susceptible crop was estimated to occur at 2.3 thermal time units of 3600 degree days (base 0°C). Ten per cent of the initial input of inoculum was still present after 4.5 thermal time units. The model was used to predict the dynamics of soil inoculum densities for V. dahliae under various cropping frequency schemes and performed satisfactorily.     

Synergism of Pratylenchus penetrans and Verticillium dahliae Manifested by Reduced Gas Exchange in Potato

ABSTRACT The effects of solitary and concurrent infection by Pratylenchus pene-trans and Verticillium dahliae on gas exchange of Russet Burbank potato (Solanum tuberosum) were studied in growth chamber experiments. Treatments were P. penetrans at low, medium, and high density; V. dahliae alone at one initial density; the combination of the nematode at these three densities and V. dahliae; and a noninfested control. Gas exchange parameters of leaf cohorts of different ages in the different treatments were repeatedly measured with a Li-Cor LI-6200 portable photosynthesis system. At 45 days after planting, joint infection significantly reduced net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration of 1- to 25-day-old leaf cohorts. Intercellular CO(2) levels were significantly increased by co-infection, especially in older leaves. The synergistic effect of co-infection on gas exchange parameters was greater in the oldest cohort than in the youngest cohort. No consistent effects on leaf gas exchange parameters were observed in plants infected by the nematode or the fungus alone. The relationship between the assimilation rate and stomatal conductance remained linear regardless of solitary or concomitant infection, indicating that stomatal factors are primarily responsible for regulating photosynthesis. The significant reduction of gas exchange in leaves of co-infected plants without reduction in intercellular CO(2) concentrations suggests that nonstomatal factors also play a role when both organisms are present.     

Interaction of spatially separated Pratylenchus penetrans and Verticillium dahliae on potato measured by impaired photosynthesis

Experiments were conducted under growth-chamber conditions to determine if Pratylenchus penetrans systemically alters light use efficiency (LUE) of Russet Burbank potato infected by Verticillium dahliae. Pathogen separation was achieved by inoculating potato roots with the nematode prior to injecting fungal conidia into the stem vasculature. Treatments were P. penetrans alone, V. dahliae alone, nematode and fungus together, and a no-pathogen control. Gas exchange was repeatedly and nondestructively measured on the fifth-youngest leaf with a Li-Cor LI-6200 portable photosynthesis system. By 16 and 20 days after stem injection with the fungus, LUE was synergistically impaired in jointly infected plants. Transpiration in plants infected with both pathogens was significantly reduced. However, the combined effect of nematode and fungus was synergistic in one experiment and additive in the other. Stems were destructively harvested when LUE was synergistically impaired. Coinfected potato plants contained more colony-forming units (CFU) of V. dahliae in stem sap than those infected by the fungus alone in one experiment. Evidence is provided that infection of Russet Burbank roots by P. penetrans systemically affects disease physiology associated with stem vascular infection by V. dahliae . The findings indicate that the role of the nematode in the fungus/host interaction is more than simply to facilitate extravascular and/or vascular entry of the fungus into potato roots.     

Effects of Crop Rotation and Irrigation on Verticillium dahliae Microsclerotia in Soil and Wilt in Cauliflower

ABSTRACT Experiments were conducted in field plots to evaluate the effects of broccoli residue on population dynamics of Verticillium dahliae in soil and on Verticillium wilt development on cauliflower under furrow and subsurface-drip irrigation and three irrigation regimes in 1994 and 1995. Treatments were a factorial combination of three main plots (broccoli crop grown, harvested, and residue incorporated in V.dahliae-infested plots; no broccoli crop or residue in infested plots; and fumigated control plots), two subplots (furrow and subsurface-drip irrigation), and three sub-subplots (deficit, moderate, and excessive irrigation regimes) arranged in a split-split-plot design with three replications. Soil samples collected at various times were assayed for V. dahliae propagules using the modified Anderson sampler technique. Incidence and severity of Verticillium wilt on cauliflower were assessed at 7- to 10-day intervals beginning a month after cauliflower transplanting and continuing until harvest. Number of propagules in all broccoli plots declined significantly (P < 0.05) after residue incorporation and continued to decline throughout the cauliflower season. The overall reduction in the number of propagules after two broccoli crops was approximately 94%, in contrast to the fivefold increase in the number of propagules in infested main plots without broccoli after two cauliflower crops. Disease incidence and severity were both reduced approximately 50% (P < 0.05) in broccoli treatments compared with no broccoli treatments. Differences between furrow and subsurface-drip irrigation were not significant, but incidence and severity were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the deficit irrigation regime compared with the other two regimes. Abundance of microsclerotia of V. dahliae on cauliflower roots about 8 weeks after cauliflower harvest was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in treatments with broccoli compared with treatments without broccoli. Rotating broccoli with cauliflower and incorporating broccoli residues into the soils is a novel means of managing Verticillium wilt on cauliflower and perhaps on other susceptible crops. This practice would be successful regardless of the irrigation methods or regimes followed on the susceptible crops.     

Response of Six Potato Cultivars to Amount of Applied Water and Verticillium dahliae

ABSTRACT Six potato cultivars were grown with or without the addition of Verticillium dahliae inoculum and were watered at 50, 75, or 100% estimated consumptive use. The applied water x cultivar interaction was significant (P = 0.009 and P = 0.001 for 1996 and 1997, respectively) for the relative area under the senescence progress curve (RAUSPC). With a decrease in water, there was an increase in RAUSPC. A significant interaction of inoculum density x cultivar also was found, based on RAUSPC (P = 0.0194 and P = 0.0033 for 1996 and 1997, respectively). In V. dahliae-infested plots, 'Katahdin' and 'Ranger Russet' were resistant to Verticillium wilt. Population size of V. dahliae in stem apices was significantly lower in 'Katahdin' in both 1996 and 1997 (P = 0.0001) and in 'Ranger Russet' in 1997 (P = 0.0001) than in the other cultivars. 'Russet Burbank' and 'Shepody' had large apical stem populations of V. dahliae and higher RAUSPC values associated with both V. dahliae inoculum and decreased amount of applied water. Marketable tuber yield was unaffected by V. dahliae in both years. Cultivar resistance to Verticillium wilt was related to cultivar tolerance to moisture deficit stress. Results suggest that moisture deficit stress response has the potential to be a useful tool in protocols for screening potato for Verticillium resistance.     

Relationships Between Verticillium dahliae Inoculum Density and Wilt Incidence, Severity, and Growth of Cauliflower

ABSTRACT Microplot and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculum density on Verticillium wilt and cauliflower growth. Soil containing Verticillium dahliae microsclerotia was mixed with various proportions of fumigated soil to establish different inoculum densities (fumigated soil was used as the noninfested control). Seven inoculum density treatments replicated four times were established, and the treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design. Soil was collected from each microplot immediately after soil infestation for V. dahliae assay by plating onto sodium polypectate agar (NP-10) selective medium using the Anderson sampler technique. Five-week-old cauliflower was transplanted into two beds within each 1.2- by 1.2-m microplot. At the same time, several extra plants were also transplanted at the edge of each bed for destructive sampling to examine the disease onset (vascular discoloration) after planting. Cauliflower plants were monitored for Verticillium wilt development. Stomatal resistance in two visually healthy upper and two lower, diseased leaves in each microplot was measured three times at weekly intervals after initial wilt symptoms occurred. At maturity, all plants were uprooted, washed free of soil, and wilt incidence and severity, plant height, number of leaves, and dry weights of leaves and roots were determined. The higher the inoculum density, the earlier was disease onset. A density of 4 microsclerotia per g of dry soil caused 16% wilt incidence, but about 10 microsclerotia per g of soil caused 50% wilt incidence. Both wilt incidence and severity increased with increasing inoculum density up to about 20 microsclerotia per g of soil, and additional inoculum did not result in significantly higher disease incidence and severity. A negative exponential model described the disease relationships to inoculum levels under both microplot and field conditions. Stomatal resistance of diseased leaves was significantly higher at higher inoculum densities; in healthy leaves, however, no treatment differences occurred. The height, number of leaves, and dry weights of leaves and roots of plants in the fumigated control were significantly higher than in infested treatments, but the effects of inoculum density treatments were variable between years. Timing of cauliflower infection, crop physiological processes related to hydraulic conductance, and wilt intensity (incidence and severity) were thus affected by the inoculum density. Verticillium wilt management methods used in cauliflower should reduce inoculum density to less than four micro-sclerotia per g of soil to produce crops with the fewest number of infected plants.     

Bacterial and fungal diseases in the major potato-growing areas of Tunisia

In a two year survey of Tunisian rustic potato stores, the losses were nearly equally distributed between dry rots induced by Fusarium solani and watery wound rot or leak caused by Pythium aphanidermatum and P. ultimum. Symptoms of leak were different from those normally induced by Pythium spp. Surveys of the growing potato crop confirmed the prevalence of these pathogens, which caused wilt and internal vascular stem necrosis. Most rotted progeny tubers also exhibited leak symptoms caused by P. aphanidermatum. Hardly any Erwinia diseases were found in Tunisia. The incidence of diseased plants was significantly higher in fields with successive cultivation of solanaceous crops, which may be attributed to a high rate of soil infestation by wilt-inducing pathogens such as Pythium spp., F. solani and Verticillium dahliae. The health of seed potatoes also played a significant role, affecting the incidence of rot in potato stores as well as in the soil before plant emergence. Therefore, Tunisian integrated management programmes for potato diseases should focus on soil disinfestation with appropriate crop rotation as well as seed quality and treatments.     

Combined effects of solarization and organic amendment on charcoal rot caused by<Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrophomina phaseolina</Emphasis> in the sahel

The effects of soil solarization combined or not with millet residues or paunch contents amendments, on the survival ofMacrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. and development of charcoal rot of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), were assessed in a naturally infested soil. Solarization increased the soil temperature to 50°C for at least 4 h per day during June, leading to a significant reduction (44%) in soil inoculum ofM. phaseolina. Paunch contents or millet residues amendment (3 t ha⁻¹) caused 16% or 35% reduction of initial inoculum density, respectively. The combination of paunch contents or millet residues amendments followed by solarization, resulted in the strongest effects on inoculum density, with reductions of 46% or 66%, respectively. The reduction in disease severity, as expressed by the area under the disease progress curve, was 78% or 96% for the combination of millet residues or paunch contents amendments and solarization, respectively. The stronger effect of the treatments on disease severity than on inoculum density may be explained by a weakening effect caused by the treatments on the remaining inoculum. Our results suggest that in the Sahelian zone the combination of solarization and organic amendment can be a credible alternative to pesticides for managing charcoal rot disease and improving cowpea yield in fields with heavy infestations withM. phaseolina.     

The relationship between soil inoculum density and plant infection as a basis for a quantitative bioassay of Verticillium dahliae

Using potato, eggplant and thorn apple as test plants, the relationship between soil inoculum density and plant infection was studied as a basis for the development of a quantitative bioassay of Verticillium dahliae. A linear relationship was demonstrated (P < 0.05) between soil inoculum density and population density on roots for all three test plants and for soil inoculum density and population density in sap extracted from stems for eggplant. Correlation coefficients were higher with densities on or in roots (R² varying from 0.45 to 0.99) than with densities in stems (R² varying from 0.04 to 0.26). With eggplant, population densities on/in root and in sap extracted from stems were significantly correlated at 20 and 25°C with Pearson's correlation coefficients of 0.41 and 0.53, respectively. For potato, root colonization was higher at 15 than at 20°C, whereas the reverse applied to eggplant. Stems of potato were less colonized than stems of eggplant. The pathozone sensu Gilligan (1985) was calculated to be <300 µm, indicating that infection was caused by microsclerotia which were located close to the roots. To assess the density of V. dahliae in plant tissue pipetting infested plant sap on solidified ethanol agar medium without salts yielded higher densities than using pectate medium or mixing sap with molten agar. A bioassay for determining effects of (a)biotic factors on development of V. dahliae in the plant is recommended with eggplants as a test plant, grown in soil infested with 300 single, viable microsclerotia g^-1 soil at a matric potential of –6.2 kPa, and incubated at 20°C for 8 weeks.     

Development of an assay for rapid detection and quantification of Verticillium dahliae in soil

ABSTRACT Verticillium dahliae is responsible for Verticillium wilt on a wide range of hosts, including strawberry, on which low soil inoculum densities can cause significant crop loss. Determination of inoculum density is currently done by soil plating but this can take 6 to 8 weeks to complete and delay the grower's ability to make planting decisions. To provide a faster means for estimating pathogen populations in the soil, a multiplexed TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay based on the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) intergenic spacer (IGS) was developed for V. dahliae. The assay was specific for V. dahliae and included an internal control for evaluation of inhibition due to the presence of PCR inhibitors in DNA extracted from soil samples. An excellent correlation was observed in regression analysis (R(2) = 0.96) between real-time PCR results and inoculum densities determined by soil plating in a range of field soils with pathogen densities as low as 1 to 2 microsclerotia/g of soil. Variation in copy number of the rDNA was also evaluated among isolates by SYBR Green real-time PCR amplification of the V. dahliae-specific amplicon compared with amplification of several single-copy genes and was estimated to range from ≈24 to 73 copies per haploid genome, which translated into possible differences in results among isolates of ≈1.8 cycle thresholds. Analysis of the variation in results of V. dahliae quantification among extractions of the same soil sample indicated that assaying four replicate DNA extractions for each field sample would provide accurate results. A TaqMan assay also was developed to help identify colonies of V. tricorpus on soil plates.     

A real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of Verticillium dahliae in spinach seed

Verticillium dahliae is a soilborne fungus that causes Verticillium wilt on multiple crops in central coastal California. Although spinach crops grown in this region for fresh and processing commercial production do not display Verticillium wilt symptoms, spinach seeds produced in the United States or Europe are commonly infected with V. dahliae. Planting of the infected seed increases the soil inoculum density and may introduce exotic strains that contribute to Verticillium wilt epidemics on lettuce and other crops grown in rotation with spinach. A sensitive, rapid, and reliable method for quantification of V. dahliae in spinach seed may help identify highly infected lots, curtail their planting, and minimize the spread of exotic strains via spinach seed. In this study, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was optimized and employed for detection and quantification of V. dahliae in spinach germplasm and 15 commercial spinach seed lots. The assay used a previously reported V. dahliae-specific primer pair (VertBt-F and VertBt-R) and an analytical mill for grinding tough spinach seed for DNA extraction. The assay enabled reliable quantification of V. dahliae in spinach seed, with a sensitivity limit of ≈1 infected seed per 100 (1.3% infection in a seed lot). The quantification was highly reproducible between replicate samples of a seed lot and in different real-time PCR instruments. When tested on commercial seed lots, a pathogen DNA content corresponding to a quantification cycle value of ≥31 corresponded with a percent seed infection of ≤1.3%. The assay is useful in qualitatively assessing seed lots for V. dahliae infection levels, and the results of the assay can be helpful to guide decisions on whether to apply seed treatments.     

Control of soilborne plant pathogens by incorporating fresh organic amendments followed by tarping

ABSTRACT A new method for the control of soilborne plant pathogens was tested for its efficacy in two field experiments during two years. Plots were amended with fresh broccoli or grass (3.4 to 4.0 kg fresh weight m(-2)) or left nonamended, and covered with an airtight plastic cover (0.135 mm thick) or left noncovered. In plots amended with broccoli or grass and covered with plastic sheeting, anaerobic and strongly reducing soil conditions developed quickly, as indicated by rapid depletion of oxygen and a decrease in redox potential values to as low as -200 mV. After 15 weeks, survival of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi, Rhizoctonia solani, and Verticillium dahliae in inoculum samples buried 15 cm deep was strongly reduced in amended, covered plots in both experiments. The pathogens were not or hardly inactivated in amended, noncovered soil or nonamended, covered soil. The latter indicates that thermal inactivation due to increased soil temperatures under the plastic cover was not involved in pathogen inactivation. The results show the potential for this approach to control various soilborne pathogens and that it may serve as an alternative to chemical soil disinfestation for high-value crops under conditions where other alternatives, such as solarization or soil flooding, are not effective or not feasible.     

Interactive Effects of Two Soilborne Pathogens, Phytophthora capsici and Verticillium dahliae, on Chile Pepper

ABSTRACT Phytophthora capsici and Verticillium dahliae are two mycelial microorganisms associated with wilt symptoms on chile pepper (Capsicum annuum). Both pathogens occur in the same field and can infect a single plant. This study examined the nature of the co-occurrence of P. capsici and V. dahliae. Chile pepper plants were inoculated with each pathogen separately or with both pathogens concomitantly or sequentially. In concomitant inoculations, plants were inoculated with a mixture of zoospores of P. capsici and conidia of V. dahliae. In sequential inoculations, plants were inoculated with zoospores of P. capsici 4 days prior to inoculation with conidia of V. dahliae, or plants were inoculated with conidia of V. dahliae 4 days prior to inoculation with zoospores of P. capsici. Stem necrosis and leaf wilting were visible 3 to 4 days earlier in plants inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae than in plants inoculated with P. capsici alone. Stem necrosis and generalized plant wilting were observed in plants inoculated with P. capsici alone, and stem necrosis, generalized plant wilting, and vascular discoloration were observed in plants inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae by 21 days after inoculation. These symptoms were not observed in control plants or plants inoculated with V. dahliae alone. The frequency of recovery of V. dahliae from stems was approximately 85 to 140% higher across inoculum levels when plants were inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae than when plants were inoculated by V. dahliae alone. Similarly, the frequency of recovery of V. dahliae from roots was approximately 13 to 40% higher across inoculum levels when plants were inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae than when plants were inoculated by V. dahliae alone. There was no apparent antagonism between the two pathogens when they were paired on growth media. In general, when P. capsici and V. dahliae were paired on growth media, mycelial growth of each pathogen grown alone was not significantly different from mycelial growth when the pathogens were paired. Results suggest that wilt development is hastened by the presence of both P. capsici and V. dahliae in the same plants. The presence of P. capsici and V. dahliae in the same inoculum court enhanced infection and colonization of chile pepper by V. dahliae.     

Effect of plant roots on the germination of microsclerotia ofVerticillium dahliae

Induction of germination of microsclerotia by exudates from plant roots may be important for the control ofV. dahliae. Laboratory experiments with root observation boxes were carried out to assess the influence of root tips of seven crop species and cultivars on the germination of microsclerotia ofVerticillium dahliae in soil under controlled conditions. The root density of crops was measured in a field experiment. The results of the laboratory experiments and the field experiment were combined to estimate the total effect of crops on the population of microsclerotia in the field. Germination of microsclerotia was stimulated by all crops compared to a control without a crop. Among crops, roots of potato cvs Element and Astarte had a larger stimulation effect on microsclerotia than that of potato Ostara, pea, flax, sugar beet or onion. The number of hyphae per microsclerotium decreased with distance from the root surface regardless of the crop species or cultivar. Differences in root densities, in the affected root zones and in the stimulation effect on germination of microsclerotia caused large differences among crops in the effect on the population of microsclerotia in the soil. However, growing a rop with the special purpose to reduce the level ofV. dahliae inoculum in the soil is an inefficient control measure, because only a small part of the total soil volume is affected by roots and the number of hyphae per microscleroium affected is too low.Abbreviations MS microsclerotia, microsclerotium     

Mechanism of broccoli-mediated verticillium wilt reduction in cauliflower

ABSTRACT Broccoli is resistant to Verticillium dahliae infection and does not express wilt symptoms. Incorporation of broccoli residues reduces soil populations of V. dahliae. The effects of broccoli residue were tested on the colonization of roots by V. dahliae, plant growth response, and disease incidence of both broccoli and cauliflower in soils with different levels of V. dahliae inoculum and with or without fresh broccoli residue amendments. The three soils included a low-Verticillium soil, a high-Verticillium soil, and a broccoli-rotation soil (soil from a field after two broccoli crops) with an average of 13, 38, and below-detectable levels of microsclerotia per g of soil, respectively. Cauliflower plants in broccoli-amended high-Verticillium soil had significantly (P 相似文献   

Root-lesion nematodes of potato: Current status of diagnostics,pathogenicity and management

Root-lesion nematodes of the genus Pratylenchus are migratory endoparasites with worldwide economic impact on several important crops including potato, where certain species like P. penetrans, P. neglectus, and P. scribneri reduce the yield and quality of potato tubers. Morphological identification of Pratylenchus spp. is challenging, and recent advancements in molecular techniques provide robust and rapid diagnostics to differentiate species without the need of specialist skills. However, the fact that molecular diagnostics are not available for all Pratylenchus species means that there are limitations in worldwide application. In general, root-lesion nematodes are difficult to manage once introduced into agricultural land and damage can be related to pathogenicity and population densities. In addition, root-lesion nematodes interact with fungi such as Verticillium dahliae, resulting in disease complexes that enhance the damage inflicted on the potato crop. Management interventions are often focused on limiting nematode reproduction before planting crops and include the application of nematicides, and cultural practices such as crop rotation, cover crops, biofumigation, and biological control. Understanding the limitations of the available crop protection strategies is important and there are many gaps for further study. This review discusses the status of the diagnosis, distribution, pathogenicity, and management of the main species of root-lesion nematodes, reported to infect potatoes worldwide, and highlights areas for potential future research.     

The relationship between the amount of Verticillium dahliae in soil and the incidence of strawberry wilt as a basis for disease risk prediction

The incidence of wilt was recorded in runner and fruiting crops of 13 strawberry cultivars at 72 locations in southern England in 1989 and 1990, and soil samples from the sites were analysed for Verticillium dahliae . Linear regressions of wilt incidence on inoculum concentration in soil for runner crops of the susceptible cv. Elsanta in both years were significant whilst that for runner crops of the susceptible cv. Hapil in 1989 approached significance; the regression for cv. Elsanta fruiting crops in 1990 was not significant. The inclusion of sand content of soil in the regression model improved the fit for the cv. Hapil data but not for the cv. Elsanta data; neither clay nor silt content of soil significantly improved the fit of the models for any data set. There were insufficient data in either year for regression analysis for other cultivars, but the levels of wilt generally corresponded with the degree of soil infestation and broadly reflected known field resistance. The data were used to estimate an inoculum concentration which corresponds to 5% wilt incidence (IC₅) for cv. Elsanta. It is suggested that this could be used as a yardstick for determining the risk of unacceptable levels of wilt in susceptible cultivars on the basis of pre-planting soil analysis.   For the 44 sites where the cropping history over the 15 years prior to soil analysis was available there was no clear association between any crop and soil infestation levels at or above the IC₅. However, V.  dahliae was more common at sites with a history of vegetatively propagated crops than at sites which had only supported crops grown from true seed.     

Effects of crop rotation and removal of crop debris on the soil population of two isolates of Verticillium dahliae

Microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae are produced in large numbers on senescing parts of host plants and remain viable in the soil for many years. Changes in the population density, i.e. density of microsclerotia, in the soil were measured in micro-plots using two isolates of V. dahtiae , specific to either field bean or potato, several crop sequences comprising potato, field beans and barley, and either the removal of aerial debris of the crops or incorporation into soil.
Potato was more susceptible to the potato isolate and field bean more susceptible to the field bean isolate. Removal of debris of potato and field bean reduced numbers of microsclerotia in the soil in the subsequent years, but removal of barley straw had no effect. Initially non-infested control micro-plots became infested, probably by the growth of potato roots into the naturally infested subsoil. The rate of increase of the microsclerotial population in the non-infested control micro-plots was larger than in the initially infested treatments, because more colonized debris was produced. It is concluded that removal of aerial debris of host crops is important to reduce the soil population of V. dahtiae.