First report of verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae on mango trees (Mangifera indica) in Southern Spain.
Baeza-Montañez L., Gómez-Cabrera R., García-Pedrajas M. D.
Author Affiliation: Estación Experimental 'La Mayora', CSIC, 29760 Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain.
Plant Disease 94 : 380-381
Abstract : In 2008, symptoms of Verticillium wilt were observed in mango cultivars Kent and Osteen in the subtropical fruit-producing area of Malaga in southern Spain. In a new mango grove of cv. Kent, previously planted in potatoes and tomatoes, ~20% of 200 one-year-old trees had one-sided branch dieback. In many of these trees, the symptoms expanded, leading to decline and eventual death. Cross sections of affected branches revealed brown vascular discoloration. Verticillium was isolated from surface-sterilized. Morphological and nucleotide sequence analysis identified the causal agent of the disease as Verticillium dahliae. This is thought to be the first report of Verticillium wilt on mango in Spain. More problems with Verticillium wilt are expected because of the increasing planting of mango in fields previously dedicated to horticultural crops.