Susceptibility of Garden Plants to Phytophthora Root Rot

Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is a serious disease of horticultural, forest, and ornamental plant species caused by species of the oomycete genus Phytophthora. Their wide host range makes the choice of resistant plants in the management of the disease difficult. We used the Royal Horticultural Society diagnostic dataset of PRR records from U.K. gardens to compare the susceptibility of different host genera to the disease. The dataset was compared with existing reports of plants recorded as notably resistant or notably susceptible to PRR. An index-based approach was used to separate 177 genera of woody plants into three categories: 85 were low index (<0.10: rarely affected), 34 were medium index (0.10 to 0.20: sometimes affected) and 58 were high index (>0.20: frequently affected). Similarly, genera of nonwoody plants were separated into: 45 low index (<0.22), 16 medium index (0.22 to 0.44), and 18 high index (>0.44). Taxus was the genus with the highest index, while most genera in the Malvales and Ericales were in the high-index group. Most genera in the Myrtales, Fabales, and Monocotyledons were low index. While 30 Phytophthora species were recorded in our study, the wide host range spp., P. plurivora, P. cryptogea, and P. cinnamomi, represented 63% of identifications. P. plurivora was the most common species on woody plants and P. cryptogea on nonwoody plants. These results provide confidence in the use of host resistance as part of the integrated management of PRR.