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POSTERS: New and Emerging Diseases I

P-459 - Laurel Wilt Disease in Avocado: What is the Current Status?

Monday, August 4, 2025
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text:

Laurel wilt (LW), caused by Harringtonia lauricola (HL), is a lethal vascular disease affecting Lauraceae hosts, including important forest species and avocado trees. Since its introduction to the U.S. in 2002, LW has caused the death of over 500 million trees, including 300,000 avocado trees. HL acts as a nutritional symbiont for various ambrosia beetles and is present in twelve states. LW continues to spread through beetle vectoring, root grafting, and the transport of infested wood, posing a significant threat to the global avocado industry. Disease management in avocado orchards involves removing symptomatic trees, reducing insect vector populations, and prophylactically injecting fungicides. However, these practices are not fully effective, or widely adopted, and propiconazole, the only EPA-approved fungicide, has proven ineffective against infection. Efforts to develop sustainable management strategies include searching for genetic tolerance, identifying xylem-mobile fungicides and endophytic biological control agents, and improving field-based pathogen detection. Recent advances include the identification of one tolerant and six moderately tolerant non-commercial genotypes, flutriafol as an effective, highly xylem-mobile fungicide, several Trichoderma strains with strong pathogen inhibitory activity and localized endophytic capabilities, and a new field-deployable protocol for direct pathogen detection from infected tissue and beetles. Although there is still a long way to go in finding a field-applicable sustainable solution, progress is being made toward this goal.