8 páginas, 2 figuras, 1 tabla.The increased presence of Verticillium wilt (Verticillium
dahliae Kleb.) in olive groves is often related to the
use of infected propagation material and to the planting
of new olive trees in contaminated soils. This study assessed
the implications of plant propagation, land-use
history and soil properties on disease prevalence in
southern Spain, the most important olive-growing area
worldwide. To this purpose, a large-scale sampling survey
was carried out in this area, V. dahliae pathotypes
were identified by PCR, and GIS was used to analyze
soil properties and cropland-use history. Finally, multiple
correspondence analysis was performed to show the
statistical association between the variables taken into
account. Results strongly indicated the potential risk of
planting olive in valleys with irrigated cropland history,
especially those that had hosted herbaceous crops, highlighted
the importance of using pathogen-free certified
planting material as a key component for a successful
disease management, and confirmed the role played by
saline, alkaline, and steep-slope soils in enhancing V.
dahliae prevalence.The research was supported by Caja Rural Foundation.Peer reviewe
