Abstract
Three strains of F. oxysporum capable of wilting the banana cultivar ‘Gros Michel’ (Musa-AAA group) were irradiated with ultraviolet light to produce genetic markers that allowed them to be identified in culture by nutritional deficiencies. Heterokaryons that formed between the strains produced a few prototrophic spores with wild-type growth rates when compared with the parent mutant cultures. Progeny from 3036 subcultures of the prototrophic, and presumed diploid, conidia could be divided into three classes: daughter diploids (99·3%), haploid parentals (0·2%) and recombinant haploids (0·5%). Further recombination occurred with additional genetic markers that differentiated the strains by their differences in haemagglutinating properties with human blood group O and by differences in pathogenicity for M. balbisiana. The banana-wilt Fusarium can undergo asexual recombination by a method similar in every respect to the parasexuality that has been demonstrated in certain other imperfect fungi. The implications of this in relation to banana breeding for wilt resistance and to problems of cultural variation in Fusaria from banana are discussed.
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