The Occurrence of Clubroot in Colombia and Its Relationship with Climate and Agronomic Practices

Clubroot, caused by <i>Plasmodiophora brassicae</i>, is a major disease of cruciferous crops in Colombia. Limited information is available, however, regarding its distribution or epidemiology in this country. The objectives of this study were to determine the occurrence of clubroot in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andrea Botero-Ramírez, Fabián Leonardo Padilla-Huertas, Stephen E. Strelkov, Celsa García-Dominguez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-08-01
Series:Horticulturae
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/8/711
Description
Summary:Clubroot, caused by <i>Plasmodiophora brassicae</i>, is a major disease of cruciferous crops in Colombia. Limited information is available, however, regarding its distribution or epidemiology in this country. The objectives of this study were to determine the occurrence of clubroot in the main regions of Colombia where cruciferous crops are grown, and to examine the relationship between pathogen inoculum density and the likelihood of field infestation with crop management practices and climatic information. In total, 127 fields were surveyed across eight departments, the pathogen inoculum density was estimated, climatic information was obtained, and farmers were surveyed on their crop management practices. More than half (53.7%) of the fields visited were found to be clubroot-infested and pathogen DNA was detected in 91.3% of the surveyed fields. The only department where clubroot symptoms were not observed was Nariño. In infested fields, <i>P. brassicae</i> inoculum density varied between 3 × 10<sup>2</sup> and 1 × 10<sup>6</sup> resting spores per gram of soil, with the highest inoculum density observed in Norte de Santander. All other departments had comparable spore loads. Inoculum density positively affected the likelihood of infestation of a field, and both spore loads and infestations were positively affected by the average temperature.
ISSN:2311-7524