Characterization of Phytophthora cinnamomi from avocado

Abstract

Species in the genus Phytophthora are widely recognized as some of the most devastating plant pathogens, and are responsible for major losses in crops such as potato, tomato, soybean, pepper and alfalfa, and fruit-and forestry trees. The Irish potato famine of 1845 caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary is a historic example of the devastation this group of pathogens can cause (DE BARY 1876). More than 100 species of Phytophthora have been identified and described to date, and species of this genus are divided into ten clades (BLAIR et al. 2008; KROON et al. 2011; MARTIN et al. 2014). Research on this group of pathogens is focussed on the identification of host factors interacting with effectors, the impact of each effector on pathogenic fitness and their sub-cellular localization in order to identify proposed roles during infection (HUITEMA et al. 2011). This could lead to the application of knowledge on pathogenicity factors to develop novel control strategies.