AUTHOR=Ma Guoping , Wang Heng , Qi Kai , Ma Liguo , Zhang Bo , Zhang Yueli , Jiang Hang , Wu Xuehong , Qi Junshan 

TITLE=Isolation, characterization, and pathogenicity of Fusarium species causing crown rot of wheat

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1405115

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2024.1405115

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is one of the most important soilborne diseases affecting wheat production. To investigate the diversity of the pathogens causing this disease, 199 diseased wheat samples were collected from 13 cities in Shandong province. In total, 468 isolates were obtained, and from these isolates, 11 <italic>Fusarium</italic> species were identified based on phylogenetic analyses with the translation elongation factor-1α (<italic>TEF-1α</italic>), RNA polymerase II largest subunit (<italic>RPB1</italic>), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (<italic>RPB2</italic>) gene sequences. Of these <italic>Fusarium</italic> isolates, 283 were identified as <italic>Fusarium pseudograminearum</italic> and the remaining isolates were identified as <italic>Fusarium graminearum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 113), <italic>Fusarium sinensis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 28), <italic>Fusarium acuminatum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 18), <italic>Fusarium incarnatum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 13), <italic>Fusarium ipomoeae</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 5), <italic>Fusarium flocciferum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 3), <italic>Fusarium proliferatum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 2), <italic>Fusarium asiaticum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 1), <italic>Fusarium culmorum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 1), and <italic>Fusarium oxysporum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 1), suggesting that <italic>F. pseudograminearum</italic> is the dominant pathogen of FCR of wheat in Shandong province. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that all 11 <italic>Fusarium</italic> species could cause typical symptoms of FCR on wheat seedlings. The results of the study indicate that a greater diversity of <italic>Fusarium</italic> species can cause FCR of wheat in Shandong province than that has been previously reported. This is the first report in the world of <italic>Fusarium incarnatum</italic>, <italic>Fusarium ipomoeae</italic>, and <italic>Fusarium flocciferum</italic> as pathogens causing FCR in wheat.</p>