Pathogenicity Assay of Verticillium nonalfalfae on Hop Plants

Abstract

Verticillium nonalfalfae is a soil-borne plant pathogen that infects its hosts through roots. It spreads in the plant’s xylem and causes wilt disease symptoms by secreting different virulence factors. Hop (Humulus lupulus) is a primary host of V. nonalfalfae, so it is used as a model plant for studying this phytopathogenic fungus. Artificial infections of hop plants and disease scoring are prerequisites for studying the pathogen’s virulence/pathogenicity and its interaction with hop plants. In this protocol, we describe the root dipping inoculation method for conducting pathogenicity assay of V. nonalfalfae on hop plants.