Identification and Comparison of Biological Characteristics and Pathogenicity of Different Mating types of V. Dahliae Isolated from Potato and Sunflower

Potato is one of the most important staple crops in the world. China is one of the leading producers of potato, but the industry faces soilborne diseases such as Verticillium wilt. The identification and comparison of the biological characteristics and pathogenicity of different mating types of Verticillium dahliae isolated from potato and sunflower in the major planting regions in China is of great importance. This is to help unravel the sudden increase in infected fields and the V. dahliae population diversity. Molecular techniques were used to isolate and identify the V. dahliae pathogens in sunflower and potato planting materials as well as field plants. The data obtained revealed that the mating type population in sunflower was MAT1-1 and that of potato was MAT1-2, but all the samples belonged to race two. There was a significant percentage of MAT1-1 isolates present in potato, which is a new trend. We conclude that the weather conditions and the conventional crop rotation practices of farmers using sunflower and potato could be the reason for the rise in infection and mating type transfer between sunflower and potato.