phytophthorarootrot.docVIP

PHYTOPHTHORA ROOT ROT ? Add Ben Faber as an author (Farm Advisor, UC Ventura County Cooperative Extension) Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is considered?the most important and most widely distributed disease of avocados in countries where avocados are produced. From a production point of view PRR is the single most important disease of avocado. In California alone it has been estimated to affect between 60–75% of the orchards and causes a loss in excess of $40 million annually (Coffey 1992). The causal fungus, Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands, was first isolated from cinnamon trees in Sumatra in 1922 and has since been reported from over 70 countries.? It has an extremely wide host range including 1000 varieties and species of plants.? Major hosts include avocado, pineapple, chestnut, eucalyptus, several species of pine, sycamore, peach, pear,?many ornamentals (including azalea, camellia and rhododendron) and many indigenous Australian and South African plants. The first published report on PRR was from Puerto Rico in 1927. A PRR-like decline was reported in California during 1920-1930, but it was only in 1942 that P. cinnamomi was isolated from avocado (Zentmyer 1980, Zentmyer et al. 1998). Symptoms The first signs of the disease are manifested in the tree canopy.? The leaves are small, pale green, often wilted with brown tips, and drop readily. In contrast to Phytophthora stem canker, new growth is usually absent. Shoots die back from the tips, and eventually the tree is reduced to a bare framework of dying branches. Tree death may take from a few months to several years, depending on soil characteristics, cultural practices and environmental conditions. When declining trees flower the trees may defoliate completely and may set a heavy crop of small fruit. The small feeder roots on diseased trees may be absent in the advanced stages of decline. When present, they are usually black, brittle and decayed, in contrast to healthy trees which have an abundance of crea