Commentary. Verticillium wilt of olive and its control: the heat is on

5 pagesPlant and Soil recently published a comprehensive and critical Marschner review about Verticillium wilt (López-Escudero and Mercado-Blanco 2011), one of the most threatening biotic constraints for olive (Olea europaea L.) production. The authors reviewed research efforts aimed to understand the diversity of the causal agent (the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae), the mechanisms underlying the interaction between the host plant and the pathogen, and the range of factors contributing to this disease becoming a major phytopathological problem in many traditional olive-growing areas. Since currently available measures to control Verticillium wilt of olive have proven ineffective when applied individually, an integrated management strategy is required to prevent significant economic losses, and more importantly, to avoid pathogen spread to new geographical areas where olive is increasingly being introduced (Tjamos 1993; Tjamos and Jiménez-Díaz 1998; López-Escudero and Mercado-Blanco 2011). Such a holistic strategy, encompassing biological, chemical, cultural and physical control measures, was presented and discussed as the only conceivable framework for an effective management of the disease.Research on Verticillium wilt of olive by authors supported by grants AGL2007-65766, AGL2009-07275 and AGL2011-30137 (Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, cofinanced by ERDF of the EU), P07-CVI-02624 and P08-AGR-03635 (Junta de Andalucía, Spain), and FEDERINIA RFP2009-00008-C02-01.Peer reviewe