Biocontrol of almond canker diseases caused by Botryosphaeriaceae fungi.

Background: Botryosphaeria dieback is a canker disease caused by fungal species of the Botryosphaeriaceae family that threatens almond productivity. The most common control measure to prevent canker development is the application of fungicides which are being phased out by European Union regulations. In the present study, two sets of bacterial strains were evaluated for their antifungal activity against pathogenic Botryosphaeriaceae species through in vitro and in vivo antagonism assays.

Soil Microbial Community Responses to Different Management Strategies in Almond Crop.

A comparative study of organic and conventional farming systems was conducted in almond orchards to determine the effect of management practices on their fungal and bacterial communities. Soils from two orchards under organic (OM) and conventional (CM), and nearby nonmanaged (NM) soil were analyzed and compared. Several biochemical and biological parameters were measured (soil pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, organic material, total phosphorous, total DNA, and fungal and bacterial DNA copies).

Avoidant/resistant rather than tolerant olive rootstocks are more effective in controlling Verticillium wilt.

The identification of rootstocks of low susceptibility to can become a valuable procedure to achieve effective control of Verticillium wilt in the olive grove. This not only involves the identification of suitable genotypes, but also the study of the interaction between the rootstock and the grafted scion. Thus, a rootstock that prevents or minimizes proliferation (avoidance/resistance strategy) can have very different effects on a susceptible scion compared to a rootstock that shows few or no symptoms despite being infected (tolerance strategy).