Dieback of Passion Fruit in Surinam

In Surinam, the commercial cultivation of the yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) is difficult due to the occurrence of dieback. Symptoms referred to as dieback include a decrease in elongation of the shoot end internodes after a period of normal growth leading to wilting and death of the shoots. Fruits from plants showing dieback symptoms are much smaller than those from healthy plants. From shoots with dieback symptoms, three fungi were isolated including Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. However, inoculation experiments with these fungi on shoots of vigorously growing plants were negative, even after wound inoculation. It appeared that plants with dieback symptoms had a poorly developed root system, From these roots Fusarium solani was isolated, which appeared to be highly pathogenic to roots of the yellow passion fruit. After inoculation of the roots of 3-month-old plants, roots became infected and the aerial plant parts showed typical dieback symptoms. Plants with their root system reduced either by inoculating with F. solani or by clipping, and subsequently inoculated with C. gloeosporioides on the aerial parts 2 weeks later, showed dieback symptoms and infection by C. gloeosporioides in shoots with these symptoms. Thus, a badly functioning root system, for example caused by infection of F. solani leads to dieback and predisposes plants to infection by C. gloeosporioides. The latter fungus itself is not a primary pathogen of shoots of the yellow passion fruit in Surinam.