ISHS Acta Horticulturae 271: VII International Asparagus Symposium
STRESS FACTORS INFLUENCING FUSARIUM INFECTION IN ASPARAGUS |
| Author: | Edward L. Nigh Jr |
| Abstract:
Crown and stem rot is a disease of asparagus caused by Fusarium moniliforme and F. oxysporium f. sp. asparagi. The disease is universal and a limiting factor in economic production and longevity of the crop. Both species of Fusarium appear to be equally pathogenic. Both have been isolated from the same host. They invade the roots and crowns early in the life of the plant living as parasites until some stress factor(s) alter the host physiology which allows the fungi to become pathogenic. Various stress factors are responsible for fusarium pathogenesis in asparagus. Cultural and past management practices responsible for citing disease development have been investigated in desert irrigated asparagus grown in southwest United States and northwest Mexico. Planting methods, irrigation and fertilizer regimes, and pest management practices, were evaluated to determine their role in predisposing asparagus to fusarium disease. Any factor causing plant stress was found to increase the incidence and severity of the disease. Autotoxicity of asparagus predisposes the roots to soil borne fungi. Cultural practices that reduce stress are therefore recognized as the only practical and economical method of reducing yield and stand decline caused by Fusarium spp. | |
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