Abstract:

Verticillium wilt is of increasing significance in European agriculture, especiallly in tree hosts such as olive and stone fruits, and in shade tree nurseries. This project aims to provide essential elements for more efficient and environmentally sound strategies to manage this disease. The research concentrates on three key areas:

1) pathogen variability,
2) host resistance,
3) detection and risk assessment.

In addition, the proposal aims at harmonising methods, exchange of experience and continuation of a successful cooperation developed during a previous concerted action. The specific achievements of the project include information on genetic variation within the pathogen, and on distribution and virulence of its subspecific groups; resistant germ plasm of olive, stone-fruits and maple; molecular methods to detect the pathogen in soil and plants.

Objectives:

The general objective is to provide essential tools and information needed for more efficient and environmentally sound strategies for managing verticillium wilt in trees. The scientific/technological objectives are:

1) to understand the genetic variability of V. dahliae in relation to its virulence and host range, and to chart the distribution of that variability within Europe;
2) to standardise and to generalise methods to select and screen for resistance in woody species, and to identify resistant germ plasm of important species; and
3) to improve risk assessment procedures by developing reliable methods of quantitative detection of V. dahliae in soil and plant materials, and of quantitative estimation of the importance of inoculum density level.

Important additional aims are to harmonise methods in general, exchange experience between the participating groups and continue the successful European co-operation developed during a preceding concerted action ( FAIR3-CT96-2015).

Contacts

Coordinator

• Jelle A HIEMSTRA / Plant Research International Business Unit Genetics and Breeding / NETHERLANDS

EC Scientific Officer

• European Commission DG Agriculture BELGIUM

Participant

• EC TJAMOS / Agricultural University of Athens GREECE
• Epaminondas J PAPLOMATAS / Agricultural University of Athens Lab. of Plant Pathology / GREECE
• RM JIMENEZ-DIAZ / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas SPAIN
• DJ BARBARA / Horticulture Research International UNITED KINGDOM
• M RATAJ-GURANOWSKA / Instytut Ochrony Roslin Institute of Plant Protection / POLAND
• MA BLANCO-LOPEZ / Universidad de Cordoba SPAIN
• M CIRULLI / Università di Bari Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia / ITALY
• C DIXELIUS / Uppsala Genetic Centre Dept. of Plant Biology - SLU / SWEDEN
• AJ TERMORSHUIZEN / Wageningen University Biological Farming Systems / NETHERLANDS