Frequency and Pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. Isolated from First-Year Asparagus Grown from Transplants. John P. Damicone, Graduate Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003. William J. Manning, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003. Plant Dis. 69:413-416. Accepted for publication 26 October 1984. Copyright 1985 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-69-413.

Isolations were made from internal crown tissues of 288 Mary Washington and 288 Jersey Centennial first-year asparagus plants grown from transplants. One or more species of Fusarium were isolated from every crown. All isolates were identified and assayed for pathogenicity by inoculating Mary Washington seedlings grown aseptically on Hoagland solution agar. F. moniliforme isolates made up 57.6% of the Fusarium population and had a mean disease index of 2.9 on a scale of 0–5. F. oxysporum isolates (30.4%) had a mean disease index of 1.5, mixed isolates of both F. moniliforme and F. oxysporum (10.6%) had a mean disease index of 2.7, and F. solani (1.4%) had a mean disease index of 1.3. The frequency of species isolated was not affected by cultivar, soil fumigation, or insecticide and herbicide applications.

Keyword(s): Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans, integrated pest management.