Journal article

Seed tuber incidence, identification and pathogenicity of Verticillium species infecting potatoes in South East Australia

PVR Nair, TJ Wiechel, NS Crump, PWJ Taylor

Australasian Plant Pathology | SPRINGER | Published : 2019

Abstract

Verticillium wilt, caused by the soilborne fungi Verticillium dahliae and Verticillium albo-atrum, is a serious disease of potato as well as many other crops. Potato seed tuber surveys (2010 to 2012) from Victoria and Tasmania, Australia identified V. dahliae, V. albo-atrum and V. tricorpus infecting the stem end vascular tissue of seed tubers. The species were identified by traditional morphology and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS region. Isolation of V. dahliae within a seed lot varied greatly and ranged from 0 to 55%. Verticillium spp. were isolated from the stem-end vascular tissue of tubers from seed lots from Victoria and Tasmania with an overall percent infection of 27.7 (V. dahliae..

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Funding Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Fran Richardson, Mark Wardzynski for helping glasshouse evaluation of isolates and Dr. Jacqueline Edwards and Dr. Dolf de Boer, DJPR, Victoria for constructive discussion. The research was a part of a multi-pronged research drive through the Australian Potato Research Program (Phase 2), funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the processing potato industry levy and matched funds from the Federal Government.