Chickpea, the most important food legume in the Mediterranean Basin and the Indian subcontinent, can be severely affected by more than 50 diseases of diverse aetiology that occur worldwide. Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc), is the most important soil borne disease of chickpeas and ranks as the major yield-limiting factor for the crop. Control of the disease is primarily by the use of chickpea cultivars with resistance to specifi c races of the pathogen. However, valuable Foc-resistance can be annulled by joint infec-tions of resistant roots with Foc and the root-knot nema-tode Meloidogyne artiellia. Infections by the nematode begins with penetration of root tissues by second-stage juveniles (J2) at the zone of root elongation; thereafter, the J2s individuals establish a permanent feeding site and induce formation of several (usually 4-6) multinucleate giant cells that support growth and reproduction of the sedentary reproductive females.

Trabajo presentado en la II Meeting Plant Proteomics in Europe, celebrada en Córdoba del 6 al 8 de febrero de 2008.

Peer reviewed