The endophyte Verticillium Vt305 protects cauliflower against Verticillium wilt

Aims: To investigate the interaction between cauliflower and the isolate
Verticillium Vt305, obtained from a field suppressive to Verticillium wilt of
cauliflower, and to evaluate the ability of Verticillium Vt305 to control
Verticillium wilt of cauliflower caused by V. longisporum.
Methods and Results: Single and combined inoculations of Verticillium Vt305
and V. longisporum were performed on cauliflower seedlings. Symptom
development was evaluated, and fungal colonization was measured in the
roots, hypocotyl and stem with real-time PCR. No symptoms were observed
after single inoculation of Verticillium Vt305, although it colonized the plant
tissues. Pre-inoculation of Verticillium Vt305 reduced symptom development
and colonization of plant tissues by V. longisporum.
Conclusions: Verticillium Vt305 is an endophyte on cauliflower plants and
showed effective biological control of V. longisporum in controlled conditions.
Significance and Impact of the Study: This work can contribute to the
development of a sustainable control measure of V. longisporum in Brassicaceae
hosts, which is currently not available. Additionally, this study provides evidence
for the different roles of Verticillium species present in the agro-ecosystem.