Abstract
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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashworth LJ, Huisman OC, Harper DM and Stromberg LK (1974) Free and bound microsclerotia of Verticillium albo-atrum in soil. Phytopathology 64: 563–564
Ashworth LJ, McCutcheon OD and George AG (1972) Verticillium albo-atrum: the quantitative relationship between inoculum density and infection of cotton. Phytopathology 62: 901–903
Ausher R, Katan J and Ovadia S (1975) An improved selective medium for the isolation of Verticillium dahliae. Phytoparasitica 3: 133–137
Bollen GJ, Hoekstra O, Scholte K, Hofman TW, Celetti MJ and Schirring A (1989) Incidence of soilborne pathogens in potato related to the frequency of potato growing on a clay loam. In: Vos J, Van Loon CD and Bollen GJ (eds) Effects of crop rotation on potato production in the temperate zones, pp. 202–222. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers
Busch LV and Schooley HD (1970) Environmental influence on symptom expression in Verticillium wilt of chrysanthemum. Can J Bot 48: 1939–1941
Davis JR, Pavek JJ and Corsini DL (1983) A sensitive method for quantifying Verticillium dahliae colonization in plant tissue and evaluating resistance among potato genotypes. Phytopathology 73: 1009–1014
Davis JR and Everson DO (1986) Relation of Verticillium dahliae in soil and potato tissue, irrigation method, and N-fertility to Verticillium wilt of potato. Phytopathology 76: 730–736
Davis JR, Huisman OC, Westermann DT, Hafez SL, Everson DO, Sorensen LH and Schneider TA(1996) Effects of green manures on Verticillium wilt of potato. Phytopathology 86: 444–453
DeVay JE, Forester LL, Garber RH and Butterfield EJ (1974) Characteristics and concentration of propagules of Verticillium dahliae in air-dried field soils in relation to prevalence of Verticillium. Phytopathology 64: 22–29
Evans G and Gleeson AC (1973) Observations on the origin and nature of Verticillium dahliae colonizing plant roots. Aust J Biol Sci 26: 151–61
Evans G, McKeen CD and Gleeson AC (1974) A quantitative bioassay for determining low numbers of microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae in field soils. Can J Microbiol 20: 119–124
Fahima T and Henis Y (1990) Interactions between pathogen host and biocontrol agent: multiplication of Trichoderma hamatum and Talaromyces flavus on roots of diseased and healthy hosts. In: Hornby D (ed.) Biological control of soilborne plant pathogens, pp165–180. Wallingford: CAB International
Ferrandino FJ and Elmer WH (1993) Eggplant cultivar tolerance to Verticillium wilt, 1992. Biological and Cultural Tests 8: 21
Gaudreault SM, Powelson ML, Christensen NW and Crowe FJ (1995) Soil water pressure and Verticillium dahliae interactions on potato. Phytopathology 85: 1542–1546
Gilligan CA (1985) Probability models for host infection by soil-borne fungi. Phytopathology 75: 61–67
Green RJ (1969) Survival and inoculum potential of conidia and microsclerotia of Verticillium alboatrum in soil. Phytopathology 59: 874–876
Gregory PH(1948) The multiple-infection transformation. Ann Appl Biol 35: 412–417
Harris DC, Yang JR and Ridout MS(1993) The detection and estimation of Verticillium dahliae in naturally infested soil. Pl Pathol 42: 238–250
Hawke MA and Lazarovits G (1994) Production and manipulation of individual microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae for use in studies of survival. Phytopathology 84: 883–890
Hoyos GP, Zambino PJ and Anderson NA (1991) An assay to quantify vascular colonization of potato by Verticillium dahliae. Am Pot J 68: 727–742
Huisman OC (1988a) Seasonal colonization of roots of field-grown cotton by Verticillium dahliae and V. tricorpus. Phytopathology 78: 708–716
Huisman OC (1988b) Colonization of field-grown cotton roots by pathogenic and saprophytic soil borne fungi. Phytopathology 78: 716–722
Huisman OC and Ashworth LJ (1974) Quantitative assessment of Verticillium albo-atrum in field soils: procedural and substrate improvements. Phytopathology 64: 1159–1163
Huisman OC and Gerik JS (1989) Dynamics of colonization of plant roots by Verticillium dahliae and other fungi. In: Tjamos, EC, Beckman, CH (eds) Vascular wilt diseases of plants, pp 1–17. Berlin: Springer Verlag
Johnson DA and Miliczky ER (1993) Distribution and development of black dot, Verticillium wilt, and powdery scab on Russet Burbank Potatoes in Washington State. Plant Dis 77: 74–79
Jordan VWL (1971) Estimation of the distribution of Verticillium populations in infected strawberry plants and soil. Pl Pathol 20: 21–24
Kotcon JB, Rouse DI and Mitchell JE (1984) Dynamics of root growth in potato fields affected by the early dying syndrome. Phytopathology 74: 462–467
Lommen WJM and Struik PC (1992) Influence of single non-destructive harvest on potato plantlets grown for minituber production. Neth J Agric Sci 40: 21–41
Melero-Vara JM, Blanco-L´opez MA, Bejarano-Alc´azar J and Jim´enez-D´ýaz RM (1995) Control of Verticillium wilt of cotton by means of soil solarization and tolerant cultivars in southern Spain. Pl Pathol 44: 250–260
Mol L and Van Riesen HW (1995) Effect of plant roots on the germination of microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae.I.Useof root observation boxes to assess differences among crops. Eur J Pl Pathol 101: 673–678
Nadakavukaren MJ and Horner CE (1959) An alcohol agar medium selective for determining Verticillium microsclerotia in soil. Phytopathology 49: 527–528
Nagtzaam MPM(1995) Talaromyces flavus as a potential biocontrol agent for controlling Verticillium dahliae in potatoes. IOBC Bull 18: 112–116
Nicot PC and Rouse DI (1987) Relationship between soil inoculum density of Verticillium dahliae and systemic colonization of potato stems in commercial fields over time. Phytopathology 77: 1346–1355.
Ordentlich A, Nachmias A and Chet I (1990) Integrated control of Verticillium dahliae in potato by Trichoderma harzianum and Captan. Crop Prot 9: 363–366
Olsson S and Nordbring-Hertz B (1985) Microsclerotial germination of Verticillium dahliae as affected by rape rhizosphere. FEMS Microbial Ecol 31: 293–299
Palloix A, Pochard E, Phaly T and Daubèze AM (1990) Recur-rent selection for resistance to Verticillium dahliae in pepper. Euphytica 47: 79–89
Pegg GF and Jonglaekha N (1981) Assessment of colonization in chrysanthemum grown under different photoperiods and infect-ed with Verticillium dahliae. Trans Br mycol Soc 76: 353–360
Pullman GS and DeVay JE (1982) Epidemiology of Verticillium wilt of cotton: a relationship between inoculum density and disease progression. Phytopathology 72: 549–554
Schnathorst WC (1981) Life cycle and epidemiology of Verticillium. In: Mace ME, Bell AA and Beckman DH (eds) Fungal wilt diseases of plants (pp. 81–108). Academic Press, New York, USA.
Scholte K (1989) The effect of netted scab (Streptomyces spp.) and Verticillium dahliae on growth and yield of potato. Pot Res 32: 65–73
Scholte K (1990) Causes of differences in growth pattern, yield and quality of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in short rotations on sandy soil as affected by crop rotation, cultivar and application of granular nematicides. Pot Res 33: 181–190
Schreiber LR (1992) Seasonal variations in susceptibility and internal inoculum densities in maple species inoculated with Verticillium dahliae. Plant Dis 76: 184–187
Schreiber LR and Green RJ (1962) Comparative survival of mycelium, conidia and microsclerotia of Verticillium alboatrum in mineral soil. Phytopathology 52: 288–289
Schreiber LR and Green RJ (1963) Effect of root exudates on germination of conidia and microsclerotia of Verticillium albo-atrum inhibited by the soil fungistatic principle. Phytopathology 53: 260–264
Slattery RJ (1981) Inoculum potential of Verticillium-infested potato cultivars. Am Pot J 58: 135–142
Tjamos EC and Paplomatas EJ (1987) Effect of soil solarization on the survival of fungal antagonists of Verticillium dahliae. Bull OEPP/EPPO 17: 645–653
Termorshuizen AJ (1995) The recovery rate of microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae with different detection methods (Abstr.). Phytoparasitica 23: 55–56
Termorshuizen AJ and Mol L (1995) Modelling the dynamics of Verticillium dahliae. In: Haverkort AJ and MacKerron DKL (eds) Potato ecology and modelling of crops under conditions limiting growth, pp 265–280. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers
Wheeler TA, Madden LV, Rowe RC and Riedel RD (1992) Modeling of yield loss in potato early dying caused by Pratylenchus penetrans and Verticillium dahliae. J Nematol 24: 99–102
Wheeler TA, Madden LV, Riedel RM and Rowe RC (1994) Distribution and yield-loss relations of Verticillium dahliae, Praty-lenchus penetrans, P. scribneri, P. crenatus,andMeloidogyne hapla in commercial potato fields. Phytopathology 84: 843–852
Wilhelm S (1955) Longevity of the Verticillium wilt fungus in the laboratory and field. Phytopathology 45: 180–181
Zeise K (1992) Gew¨achshaustest zur Resistenzpr¨ufung von Winter-raps (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera Metzger) gegen den Erreger der Rapswelke Verticillium dahliae Kleb. Nachrichtenbl Dtsch Pflanzenschutzdienstes 44: 125–128
Zilberstein Y, Chet I and Henis Y (1983) Effect of atmosphere on germination of microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae. Israel J Bot 32: 33–36
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nagtzaam, M., Termorshuizen*, A. & Bollen, G. The relationship between soil inoculum density and plant infection as a basis for a quantitative bioassay of Verticillium dahliae. European Journal of Plant Pathology 103, 597–605 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008605923844
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008605923844