Epidemiology of Fusarium agave wilt in Agave tequilana Weber var. azul

Fusarium oxysporum is reported as the principal causal agent limiting production of Agave tequilana Weber var. azul, but frequent isolation of F. solani, and symptoms typical of F. solani as a pathogen like severe reddish coloured root rot and loss of soil anchorage are frequently associated with diseased agaves. Inoculations of agave plantlets with F. solani induced typical agave root rot symptoms in greenhouse trials. The incidence of both pathogens was determined molecularly with specific primers in the ITS2 sequence. Dispersion patterns of agave wilt, determined in plantations of different age, indicated a tendency to produce aggregated patterns over time as the disease spread from the initial symptomatic plant to adjacent plants. Although both fungi were isolated from agave diseased plants, and in spite of the higher percentage of detection and root rot symptoms, it is concluded that F. solani may have a greater impact in agave wilt.