Verticillium lecanii a natural parasite on the fig rust Ceratolium fici

Abstract EN

Verticillium lecanii was isolated from uredia of the fig rust Ceratolium fici, collected from Al-Batinah area in the Sultanate of Oman.

Pathogenicity was conducted in vitro on water agar and in vivo on detached fig leaves.

Verticillium colonized urediospores internally resulting into vacuolated and disintegrated cytoplasm of urediospores.

V.

lecanii reduced significantly the number of uredia on detached leaf disks when it was applied together with rust urediospores.

In the presence of V.

lecanii uredia became black and covered by a web-like white mycelium.

The number of viable urediospores taken from infected uredia was significantly reduced.