Etiology Strawberry dry wilt (Fragaria spp.) in Morelos, Mexico

Abstract

Strawberry production has increased in Mexico, due to its taste, nutrition and high economic income. In Morelos, the production is affected by the strawberry dry wilt, a frequent disease in this crop that causes significant losses above 50% the production. The objective of this work was to identify the causal agent of the strawberry drier, perform pathogenicity tests from the isolate and compare against an isolated strain already identified, evaluate inoculation methods and observe the damage to the roots for this purpose they were analyzed plants with typical symptoms of the disease from a commercial plot were analyzed from June 2018. The identification of the fungus was made by cultural and morphological characteristics and compared with a strain of Fusarium oxysporum from Celaya, Guanajuato. The results show that the causal agent of the strawberry drier in Morelos is Fusarium oxysporum. The pathogenicity tests showed the damage caused by this fungus in the crop and its direct involvement in the fresh and dry weight of the roots in the plants. The comparison between means did not detect significant differences in the method of inoculation and the strains evaluated.