Biological Control of Fungal Soilborne Pathogens in Strawberries

Strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an important, high-value culturable crop. Over the last ten years, strawberry production has increased by 35 percent, and in 2002, 3.25 million t were produced worldwide (FAO, Statistical Databases, available at https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" xlink:href=" https://www.apps.fao.org "> https://www.apps.fao.org ). However, strawberry roots are attacked by several fungi ( Maas, 1998 ), which cause high yield losses: for example, Verticillium dahliae can affect up to 80 percent ( Kurze et al., 2001 ), and root rot caused by Pythium, Rhizoctonia , and Cylindrocarpon spp. up to 85 percent ( Martin and Bull, 2002 ). In the coming years, the loss of methyl bromide as a control measure for soilborne pathogens will have a strong negative impact on the occurrence of diseases they cause ( Martin, 2003 ). Although differences in field resistance against soilborne pathogens exist, host resistance is currently not a viable option for disease control, as no resistant cultivars are available ( Harris and Yang, 1996 ; Shaw et al., 1997 ). Hence, new efficacious methods of control are urgently needed for commercial strawberry production.