Comparative study of genetic diversity and pathogenicity among populations of Verticillium dahliae from cotton in Spain and Israel

Genetic diversity and phenotypic diversity in Verticillium dahliae populations on cotton were studied among 62 isolates from Spain and 49 isolates from Israel, using vegetative compatibility grouping (VCG), virulence and molecular assays. In Spain, defoliating V. dahliae isolates (D pathotype) belong to VCG1, and non-defoliating isolates (ND) belong to VCG2A (often associated with tomato) and VCG4B (often associated with potato). The D pathotype was not identified in Israel. The ND pathotype in Israel is comprised of VCG2B and VCG4B. Isolates in VCG2B and VCG4B ranged in virulence from weakly virulent to highly virulent. The highly virulent isolates induced either partial defoliation or no defoliation. Virulence characteristics varied with inoculation method and cotton cultivar. Highly virulent isolates from Israel were as virulent as D isolates from Spain under conditions conducive to severe disease. The D pathotype is pathologically and genetically homogeneous, whereas the ND pathotype is heterogeneous with respect to virulence, VCG, and molecular markers based on single-primer RAPD and on PCR primer pairs.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]