Clubroot disease in Latin America: distribution and management strategies

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is an important disease of cruciferous crops worldwide. In Latin America (from Mexico to Chile, including the Caribbean), most of the area in cruciferous crops is devoted to oilseed rape (Brassica napus; c. 230 600 ha) in Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, while cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts (40 900 ha) are cropped intensively on small acreages across the region. Although clubroot is present in most Latin American countries, there have been very few studies of P. brassicae. Clubroot research in Latin America has focused mainly on adapting disease management strategies developed in temperate climates to tropical climates, including liming, biological control and genetic resistance. This review summarizes the management strategies used in Latin America to reduce the impact of clubroot, including novel strategies when compared with temperate regions, such as a crop rotation with aromatic plant species and the use of biological control with Trichoderma spp. Latin America has unique characteristics relative to temperate countries such as high humidity, warm temperatures and acidic soil that impact the interaction between P. brassicae and its plant hosts, so more research is required.