Abstract
Many fungi limit onion production in Burkina Faso. This study aims to identify the main Fusarium species associated with onion plant in field in order to determine those involved in seedling damping-off and bulb rot, and develop adequate management strategies of these diseases. For this purpose, 36 isolates of Fusarium were isolated from onion plants in 17 sites and subjected to molecular analysis and biometric characterization. The results revealed that the isolates belong to five Fusarium species: Fusarium oxysporum (44.44% of the isolates), Fusarium proliferatum (41.66%), Fusarium solani (5.55%), Fusarium fujikuroi (5.55%) and Fusarium thapsinum (2.77%). Fusarium oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani and F. fujikuroi had faster mycelial development, with a growth rate of 7.72 - 8.27 mm/d, than F. thapsinum (6.52 mm/d). Conidia of F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum and F. solani were longer (4.74 - 5.96 μm) than those of F. fujikuroi and F. thapsinum (3.20 - 4.04 μm). Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum, respectively, had the largest and most partitioned conidia.
Highlights
Onion is produced all over the world
Fungi from the genus Fusarium have been detected on onion plants in Burkina Faso at rates ranging from 10% to 90%
Molecular analysis of 36 Fusarium isolates collected from different onion production sites identified five Fusarium species including F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, F. fujikuroi and F. thapsinum
Summary
Burkina Faso is ranked 4th West African onion producing country after Nigeria, Niger and Senegal [1], each with just over 3% of the regional production. Among the off-season crops grown in Burkina Faso, the bulb onion ranks second after the tomato, accounting for 32.4% and 41.4% of the total vegetable crops production and areas, respectively [2]. Since the 2009/2010 season, four main production regions have accounted for about 70% of national production These are, in order of importance, the Boucle of Mouhoun region, the North region, the Center-North region and the Center-West region [3]. Onions are very appreciated for their flavour and nutritional value It is rich in vitamins and trace elements and the main nutrients in bulbs and leaves are diverse and their contents sometimes high. One hundred grams (100 g) of onion contains 7 mg of vitamin C; 0.14 mg of vitamin B6; 170 mg of Potassium, corresponding to 9%, 5% and 5% of the daily nutrient intake [4]
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