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Control of Verticillium wilt of olive by resistant rootstocks

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Abstract

Aims

The potential of grafting susceptible cultivars onto resistant rootstocks was evaluated for the control of Verticillium wilt in olive.

Methods

Clones of the cultivars ‘Frantoio’ (highly resistant), ‘Coratina’ (susceptible) and ‘Leccino’ (highly susceptible) were used as scions and rootstocks in all combinations, inoculated by root-dipping with a defoliating (D) pathotype of Verticillium dahliae, and incubated in the greenhouse for 3 months.

Results

Ninety days after inoculation, non-grafted plants of ‘Frantoio’ and all cultivars grafted onto ‘Frantoio’ were devoid of wilt symptoms, while non-grafted plants of ‘Coratina’ (AUDPC = 203.3) and ‘Leccino’ (AUDPC = 167.3) were characterized as susceptible. In contrast, when ‘Frantoio’ was grafted onto susceptible rootstocks, plants became susceptible (AUDPC of 139.8 and 108.9 on ‘Frantoio’ grafted onto ‘Coratina’ and Leccino’, respectively). No significant difference occurred for vascular browning severity and frequency of V. dahliae reisolation from trunk tissues, though the pathogen was less abundant in the xylem of ‘Frantoio’. Microscopic observations on plugging of xylem vessels are presented.

Conclusions

Grafting of susceptible olive cultivars ‘Leccino’ and ‘Coratina’ onto resistant rootstock ‘Frantoio’ provided an excellent control of Verticillium wilt. It is postulated that the resistance of ‘Frantoio’ occurs mainly in the roots and involves biochemical mechanisms rather than plant structural characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the ‘Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Puglia’, Bari, Italy, year 2009, research project ‘Caratterizzazione di varietà e portinnesti di olivo per la resistenza alla verticilliosi’. The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to Prof. Rafael Manuel Jiménez-Díaz, University of Cordoba, for his critical reading, and Prof. Krishna V. Subbarao, University of California, for the English revision. Also, the authors thank Mr. Nicola Contursi and Mr. Valentino Poliseno for their technical assistance.

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  1. Dipartimento di Biologia e Chimica Agro-Forestale ed Ambientale, Università degli studi di Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, via Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy

    Giovanni Bubici & Matteo Cirulli

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  1. Giovanni Bubici
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  2. Matteo Cirulli
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Correspondence to Giovanni Bubici.

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Bubici, G., Cirulli, M. Control of Verticillium wilt of olive by resistant rootstocks. Plant Soil 352, 363–376 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1002-9

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