Survey in Nurseries and Irrigation Water Reservoirs as Sources of Oomycetes Found in Avocado Orchards in the Canary Islands.

Abstract

Nursery stocks and irrigation water are important sources of Phytophthora spp. In this study, 20 irrigation water reservoirs and 10 avocado nurseries were surveyed in the Canary Islands between 2013 and 2015 to investigate their potential role in disseminating pathogenic species in avocado orchards. Phytophthora multivora was isolated from one of the irrigation reservoirs, whereas, in two surveys conducted in nurseries, Phytophthora cinnamomi, the primary pathogen in avocado, was detected in addition to other Phytophthora species (P. lacustris, P. multivora, P. nicotianae, P. niederhauserii, and P. palmivora) and Phytopythium vexans. The species recovered from nurseries were isolated mostly from propagated plants but also from nursery irrigation water, soil used for substrate preparation, and soil samples collected in orchards that supply seeds for seedling propagation. Species recovered from nurseries correlated with those found in avocado orchards in a previous study, except for P. lacustris, suggesting that nurseries could be involved in their dissemination in avocado orchards. The improved sanitary status of nurseries resulted in reduced incidence in the second survey, indicating the importance of nursery monitoring to reduce infestations.