European Journal of Plant Pathology (2008) 122, 549-560

Polymnia P. Antoniou, Emmanouil A. Markakis, Sotirios E. Tjamos, Epaminondas J. Paplomatas and Eleftherios C. Tjamos (2008)
Novel methodologies in screening and selecting olive varieties and root-stocks for resistance to Verticillium dahliae
European Journal of Plant Pathology 122 (4), 549-560
Abstract: An innovative inoculation process, involving the drilling of a trunk hole in 3 year-old olive trees and injecting a dense conidial suspension of Verticillium dahliae, was developed to study differentiation in foliar symptom expression between olive cultivars tolerant or susceptible to the pathogen. It was demonstrated that V. dahliae conidia could be translocated and colonize the xylem at the same distance above and below the point of trunk injection in both cultivars. However, the pathogen could be subsequently isolated at statistically significant percentages in susceptible cv. Amphissis compared to the tolerant cv. Kalamon, indicating operation of resistance mechanisms in the vascular phase of the disease. Consequently symptom development in the susceptible cultivar was at least sixfold more intensive compared to the tolerant cultivar, 6-11 months after trunk inoculation. Perennial olive orchard experiments, aimed at selecting Verticillium-resistant root-stocks, were conducted by applying the novel method in 2-3 year-old root-stock suckers of Amphissis olive trees and in the tolerant cvs Lianolia of Corfu and Koroneiki. It was indicated that potentially resistant root-stocks could be obtained following the trunk drilling technique. Resistance differentiation between cvs Amphissis and Kalamon was further verified through root inoculation by various V. dahliae microsclerotial concentrations and demonstrated that the trunk drilling inoculation procedure is equally efficient in resistance evaluation of olives to Verticillium wilt. The trunk inoculation procedure could be useful in selecting and screening root-stocks for resistance to V. dahliae and other vascular pathogens and could elucidate resistance mechanisms in woody plants against vascular wilt diseases.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Emmanouil A. Markakis, Sotirios E. Tjamos, Eleftherios C. Tjamos

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Verticillium dahliae	Olive (Olea europaea)