Verticillium Wilt, a Limiting Factor for Tobacco Production in Chile. B. A. Latorre, Professor, Facultad de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Casilla 6177, Santiago, Chile. M. Lolas, G. Marholz, and Chiletabaco. Research Assistant, Facultad de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Casilla 6177, Santiago, Chile, and Casilla 267-7 V, Santiago, Chile. Plant Dis. 73:664-666. Accepted for publication 20 February 1989. Copyright 1989 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-73-0664.

A wilt and orange-to-yellow discoloration observed in recent years in burley types of tobacco in Chile was confirmed to be caused by Verticillium dahliae. Disease incidence as high as 25.6% has occurred. Significant yield losses were estimated in nine of 11 selected plots during the 1987–1988 growing season. Quality also was significantly affected in diseased versus symptomless cultivar Burley-49 tobacco plants. Isolates of V. dahliae from tobacco were pathogenic to plants of tobacco cultivar Burley-21. However, only mild symptoms occurred in cultivar Coker-86; flue-cured lines V-1 and V-3 appeared to be resistant. All isolates were pathogenic to the susceptible tomato cultivar Earlypak-7, and some isolates caused symptoms on tomato seedlings of the resistant cultivars San Remo, Flora Dade, and Cal-Ace. Lower disease incidence was observed in the latter cultivars. Consequently, isolates from tobacco appeared to be race 1 of V. dahliae.