Cryptic Infection and Systemic Colonization of Leguminous Crops by Verticillium dahliae, the Cause of Verticillium Wilt

Abstract

Verticillium dahliae, the cause of Verticillium wilt, is a widespread pathogen that affects many crops in California and throughout the world. Cover cropping with leguminous species is often integrated into a rotation scheme for its contribution to soil nitrogen, and can contribute to management of Verticillium wilt provided the chosen crop does not support development of V. dahliae. Seven cool season legumes (faba bean, bell bean, field pea, hairy vetch, common vetch, purple vetch, and woollypod vetch), and three warm season legumes (sesbania, sunn hemp, and black-eyed pea) were evaluated as hosts for reproductive growth of V. dahliae. All 10 legumes were colonized by V. dahliae, while remaining symptomless, when subjected to a root-dip inoculation. Similar results were obtained when plants were grown in infested potting soil, albeit with a lower frequency of infection than in root-dip assays. All tested legumes were also infected in field trials, with the exception of bell bean. Overall, warm season legumes sustained higher rates of infection than cool season legumes. Common vetch was the most extensively colonized of the cool season legumes. Based on the results of this study, legumes may not be an appropriate rotation crop in fields where Verticillium wilt is a problem.