Avocado wilt complex disease, implications and management in Colombia

Abstract

The avocado crop is widely grown in Colombia, especially the commercial variety called Hass. This accelerated cultivation of avocado has not been properly planned locally but influenced by external recommendations, which in many cases are not applicable to the local conditions in Colombia. This situation has led to the failure of many avocado crops, which are faced with serious technological lags, inducing low sustainable levels. Amongst the most serious limitations is the avocado wilt complex (AWC). This term is used to describe a multi-complex diseases associated with different causal agents, which can be of biotic and abiotic origins and can affect roots and stem of avocado plants in all stages of development, causing similar aerial symptoms. The objective of this study was to describe the AWC and its implications in Colombia, emphasizing essential aspects such as symptomology, causal agents, incidence, distribution, economic impact, associated problems, factors predisposing, management practices, technology of information, and future scenarios. The information described in this manuscript is part of multiple research developed in the field, greenhouse and laboratory by the author for more than 8 years, in addition to the literature reported in Colombia in the different topics described above. This study should serve as a fundamental basis for understanding the impact of AWC and give the basic information for a correct management technically and scientifically.

Keywords

• Biotic and abiotic causal agents
• Economic impact
• Management practices