Interaction of Meloidogyne hapla and Verticillium dahliae, and the chemical control of wilt in strawberry

Abstract

In a field experiment with strawberries, pre-plant treatments with broad-spectrum fumigants methyl bromide-chloropicrin (450 kg/ha) or methyl isothiocyanate-dichloropropene (500 l/ha) (and 300 l/ha) controlled wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb and resulted in increased yields. Soil fumigation with the nematicide ethylene dibromidz (105 l/ha) also improved yields. It controlled the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla Chitwood), delayed the onset of wilt symptoms and reduced the severity of disease. This indicated a nematode-fungus interaction and is the first report of a Meloidogyne-Verticillium interaction in strawberry.