Diseases and disorders associated with different stages of crop development and factors that determine the incidence in Hass avocado crops

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hass avocado production systems in Colombia have increased to become the third largest area planted for fruit production. A number of factors that limit productivity such as diseases have become of high economic importance. The objectives of this study were to identify the causal agents associated with pathologies in Hass avocado crops in different stages of development and to determine main environmental factors associated with their incidence. This work was conducted over a period of eight years (2009-2016), during which plots and nurseries were monitored. Results showed that the most common disease of Hass avocado was avocado wilt complex (AWC) caused mainly by Phytophthora cinnamomi. In addition, it was found that pathogens such as Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu lato, and Phytophthora palmivora, can affect diverse tissues of avocado plants, appearing in different stages of crop development. Incidence of different pathologies in commercial plots were influenced by technological level, the sampling season (rainy and dry), and environmental and topographical variables such as precipitation, slope and elevation. This work presented a holistic approach for analysis of pathologies in Hass avocado crops, which were determined by the stage of crop development, environmental and topographic variability and the technological level of the productive system.

Keywords

• environmental variables
• Phytophthora cinnamomi
• Lasiodiplodia theobromae.