Abstract
Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol), is one of the most destructive soil-borne diseases of tomatoes. Infection takes place on the roots and the process starts with contact between the fungus and the roots hairs. To date, no detailed studies are available on metabolic activity in the early stages of the Fol and tomato root interaction. Spatial and temporal patterns of oxygen consumption could provide new insights into the dynamics of early colonization. Here, we combined planar optodes and spatial analysis to assess how tomato roots influence the metabolic activity and growth patterns of Fol. The results shows that the fungal metabolism, measured as oxygen consumption, increases within a few hours after the inoculation. Statistical analysis revealed that the fungus tends to growth toward the root, whereas, when the root is not present, the single elements of the fungus move with a Brownian motion (random). The combination of planar optodes and spatial analysis is a powerful new tool for assessing temporal and spatial dynamics in the early stages of root-pathogen interaction.
Highlights
Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (Sacc.) W.C
We investigated how the temporal and spatial dynamics of Fol growth are altered by the presence of tomato roots, and, vice-versa, how root physiology is affected by fungus colonization
A conidial suspension obtained from the stock solution was transferred onto 1/4strength potato dextrose agar (PDA; Oxoid, Italy), incubated for seven days at 25◦C and the resulting colonies were used in the experiments
Summary
Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (Sacc.) W.C. Lycopersici (Sacc.) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hans (Fol), is one of the most devastating diseases of the tomato. Hans (Fol), is one of the most devastating diseases of the tomato It is responsible for severe losses in the greenhouse, open field crops and hydroponic cultures. Lycopersici infects tomato roots, starting from a contact with the root hairs and ending with the colonization and necrosis of the root tissue and wilting of the plant (Lagopodi et al, 2002; Mandal et al, 2009). Because of its economic importance, Fol has received considerable attention from researchers, especially in terms of root colonization patterns by pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains (Bao and Lazarovits, 2001; Lagopodi et al, 2002; Olivain et al, 2006), with and without the presence of microbial biocontrol agents (Bolwerk et al, 2003, 2005)
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