Carlos Trapero, Luis F. Roca, Esteban Alca´ntara and Francisco J. Lo´ pez-Escudero | View Article
Verticillium wilt of olive, caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb., is the most severe disease affecting this crop in most olive growing countries. In this study, the presence of viable structures of V. dahliae in dried inflorescences from wilted olive shoots was investigated. The pathogen was found inside peduncles and flowers, by assessing the number of typical star-shaped microsclerotial colonies formed onto the modified sodium polypectate agar medium. Microsclerotia of V. dahliae were observed inside the peduncles under the stereoscopic microscope. The presence of microsclerotia in these easily decomposable olive tissues shows that infected inflorescences can act as a source of inoculum for Verticillium wilt epidemics.
Colonization of Olive Inflorescences by Verticillium dahliae
