First morphogenetic identification of Fusarium solani isolated from orange fruit in Egypt

Abstract

Losses due to post harvest decay may occur at any time during post harvest handling, from harvest to consumption affecting the produce quality and quantity. Accurate identification of the pathogen causing post harvest disease is essential to the selection of an appropriate disease control approach. Nine isolates of Fusarium recovered from orange fruit were identified as Fusarium solani. The fungus is involved with fruit decay. The obtained cultures were purified and grown on potato-dextrose agar (PDA), malt yeastagar (MYA), and Czapek's nutrient media (CNM) under light for identification. A pathogenicity test was carried out to fullfil Koch'spostulates. The pathogen could only enter ripe orange fruit through wounds and cracks causing the rot disease. The identification of the fungal isolates was confirmed to be F. solani by DNA sequencing, which was 99 to 100% homologous to those deposited in the Gen-Bank. The identity of nine fungal isolates was confirmed to be F.solani by DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region (GenBank Accession Nos. DQ486874 to DQ486881 and KC758879). To our knowledge, this is the first morphogenetic identification of F. solani isolated from orange fruit in Egypt.