Effect of Verticillium Wilt on Root and Top Weight of Peanut Cultivar Tamnut 74. H. A. Melouk, USDA-ARS, Department of Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater 74078. D. F. Wadsworth, and J. L. Sherwood, USDA-ARS, Department of Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater 74078. Plant Dis. 67:1349-1350. Accepted for publication 15 June 1983. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1983. DOI: 10.1094/PD-67-1349.

The effect of Verticillium dahliae on root and top weight and peg production of peanut cultivar Tamnut 74 (Arachis hypogaea L.) was examined in the greenhouse using two inoculation techniques. Plants inoculated when either 4, 6, 8, or 12 wk old by a root-dip method or stem injection had significantly reduced top and root dry weights and total pegs per plant or pegs with fruits. When plants were examined for foliar symptoms, generally, the earlier the inoculation by either method, the more severe the symptoms. It is concluded that Verticillium infection of peanuts, regardless of the plant age, can cause significant loss in plant vigor and reproduction capacity.