Etiology, Epidemiology and Management of Fusarium Crown & Stem Rot of Lisianthus
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Crown & Stem Rot of Lisianthus
A LISIANTHUS LAMENT:
RESEARCHERS RED-FLAG FUNGI PLAGUING LISIANTHUS
Destructive organisms don’t remain anonymous for long. Some make
the talk-show circuit and sign book contracts. But others, such as the
fungi responsible for new outbreaks of lisianthus crown and stem rot, find
themselves in the cross hairs of concerned plant pathologists. In Endowment-funded
studies, Dr. Robert McGovern and Dr. Brent Harbaugh are closing in on a
handful of soil-borne Fusarium species leaving crop losses of 30-to-70
percent in their wake. The researchers have positively identified the culprits,
learned how to distinguish the differences between the closely related
species, and determined how the fungi are typically transmitted during
production. Fungicides effective in supressing the fungi have also been
pinpointed.
But merely holding the microbes at bay with synthetic controls
is a less-than-satisfactory conclusion for the scientists. Moving into
their second year of studies, McGovern and Harbaugh are intent on devising
an integrated management program for growers that will include Fusarium-unfriendly
culture strategies as well as biocontrols. Among many other tasks, the
team is currently screening lisianthus cultivars for signs of natural resistance
to the diseases and conducting tests to determine whether lisianthus seeds
and other ornamental crops are carriers of the fungi. Since Fusarium
species plague a wide range of ornamentals, the researchers expect the
management techniques they’re developing will have broad applicability
within the industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT RESEARCH-PROJECT LEADER:
Dr. Robert McGovern, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology, University
of Florida
E-MAIL: <rjm@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu>
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