Fusarium Species Composition Research Articles

Impact of Fusarium Species Composition and Incidence on Onion Basal Rot in Northeastern Israel

Fusarium basal rot (FBR) places a significant limitation on Allium production worldwide. The damage caused by the disease can be observed throughout the entire crop cycle. This research aimed to further our understanding of the impact of FBR on the cultivation of onions (Allium cepa) in northeast Israel. It focused on studying the composition and incidence of Fusarium species involved in disease outbursts in two representative fields, one in Galilee (Hula Valley) and the second in the Golan Heights, where the disease incidences reached 8%. Using colony morphology, microscopic taxonomic keys, and molecular methods, a new, unreported Neocosmospora (previously Fusarium solani) species complex (SC, mostly N. falciformis) was discovered as a wildly spread member of the Fusarium pathobiome community. This species complex appeared more generalist in its nature since it was found in all three onion cultivars’ samples. It was also less virulent in seed germination (42–52% higher sprout biomass, p < 0.05) and bulb pathogenicity tests (41–45% less necrotic) than Fusarium acutatum. Whereas the Galilee yellow Orlando (Riverside) onion cultivar bulbs sampled were colonized by Neocosmospora SC (70%) and two other, less abundant species, F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae and F. acutatum (15% each), the Golan Heights field’s Fusarium community showed host specificity. In the Golan Heights field, F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae inhabited the red Ha2 onion cultivar bulbs, whereas F. acutatum colonized the yellow Ha1 cultivar (40% and 50% prevalence along with Neocosmospora SC). A better understanding of the complexity of this disease caused by different Fusarium species and with a divergence in host susceptibility and virulence is critical for developing disease management strategies. Since each Fusarium species reacts differently to pest control treatments, changes in the species composition may require specifically adapted management solutions.

Fusarium Species Causing Pepper Wilt in Russia: Molecular Identification and Pathogenicity.

Fusarium wilt pathogens represent an ongoing threat to pepper production worldwide. This is the first report providing data on the molecular identification of Fusarium fungi that cause wilt in pepper in the southern regions of Russia. Monitoring of the Fusarium infection on pepper was carried out in 2019-2022 in two economically important regions of this culture production: the Krasnodar Krai and Crimea. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the translation elongation factor (EF1a) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), as well as the macro- and micromorphological characteristics of the fungi, the causative agents of Fusarium wilt have been identified. The causative agents identified as representatives of the Fusarium species composition included: F. clavus, F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. verticillioides, F. commune, F. torulosum, and F. sporotrichioides. Depending on the region, the specifics of biodiversity and the ratio of these species in pathocomplexes were noted. In Crimea, wilting could be attributed to all of the identified species; in the Krasnodar Krai, F. verticillioides and F. clavus were found to contribute to wilting. The pathogenicity test showed that the pathogens of pepper wilting in Russia, in addition to the already known F. oxysporum and F. solani, are the species F. clavus and F. verticillioides. This is the first report on the ability of these species to cause Fusarium wilt in pepper cultures. The obtained data will be of practical value for the development of biological control measures for fungi of the genus Fusarium, which cause pepper wilt in areas of industrial production and seed production. In addition, data on species composition and aggressive isolates will be used in a pepper breeding program for resistance to Fusarium wilt.

Fusarium Hardlock Associated With Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) Injury in Southeastern Cotton.

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is an important insect pest in cotton that feeds on reproductive fruit, contributing to yield loss. Economically damaging infestations of L. lineolaris have doubled in Virginia since 2013. Escalation of L. lineolaris abundance may increase Fusarium hardlock disease observed in this region, compounding economic losses. Research has linked Fusarium hardlock with fungal species Fusarium verticillioides and F. proliferatum. Field and greenhouse experiments were performed to investigate (i) Fusarium hardlock occurrence in field plots managed and unmanaged for L. lineolaris, (ii) severity of F. verticillioides infection of cotton bolls with and without the presence of L. lineolaris feeding in a greenhouse setting, and (iii) Fusarium species composition and prevalence within field-collected L. lineolaris and cotton lint with and without insect feeding injury and hardlock symptoms present. Nearly twice the amount of hardlock (i.e., proportion of hardlocked locules) occurred in field-collected bolls with L. lineolaris feeding symptoms (0.40 ± 0.02) compared with bolls without (0.21 ± 0.01). Based on real-time quantitative PCR, cotton bolls exposed to F. verticillioides inoculum and caged with L. lineolaris adults had greater levels of F. verticillioides DNA compared with untreated bolls. F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides, and F. fujikuroi were isolated from field-collected L. lineolaris and hardlocked cotton lint at harvest. These findings suggest that the presence of L. lineolaris is associated with an increased risk of Fusarium hardlock in Southeastern cotton, and both should be carefully managed using timely insecticide applications and cultural control practices to minimize yield loss.

A novel metabarcoding approach to investigate Fusarium species composition in soil and plant samples.

The genus Fusarium contains more than 300 species, most of which are plant pathogens. Appropriate molecular tools for accurately and rapidly describing temporal and spatial shifts in Fusarium communities would be useful for the development of control strategies. Here, we present a new Fusarium-specific primer pair targeting the translation elongation factor 1-α (EF1α) gene with amplicons of ~430 bp, suitable for MiSeq metabarcoding sequencing. Mock Fusarium communities were used to evaluate its resolution and to optimize read filtering and downstream analyses. The use of the DADA2 pipeline coupled with operational taxonomic unit (OTU) picking at 98% similarity cut-off significantly increased the accuracy of read filtering. Building a phylogenetic tree using a manually curated database as a reference allowed taxonomic assignment at the species or species-complex level. This methodology was tested on soil and maize residue samples collected from crop fields. Up to 18 Fusarium OTUs, belonging to 17 species and 8 species complexes, were obtained, with F. oxysporum being the most abundant species in soil samples, while F. graminearum and F. avenaceum were the most abundant in maize residues. We demonstrated the high performance of this workflow which could be further used for profiling Fusarium species composition and dynamics during the cultivation cycle.

Influence of continuous cropping on corn and soybean pathogens

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of two tillage programs (conventional and no-tillage) and different rotations with soybeans and corn on the occurrence of Fusarium species. The work was conducted in the experimental field and Seed Laboratory at Iowa State University. The treatments were: tillage (no-tillage and conventional tillage), crop (corn and soybeans) and three different cropping sequences for corn and soybeans, respectively. Treatment with corn: (1) the first year after four years of soybeans (1C); (2) alternating corn and soybeans each year (C / SB); (3) Continuous corn (C). Treatment with soybeans; (1) the first year after four years of corn (1S); (2) alternating soybeans and corn each year (SB / C); (3) Continuous soybeans (S). Two plant counts were performed in two stages in soybean (VC and V3) and corn (V1 and V3). The root system of ten plants were collected in the vegetative stages V2 and V5 for soybeans and corn. The fungi were isolated from the roots, and the Fusarium species were identified based on the most distinctive morphological characteristics. Nine species were identified in both soybeans and corn, namely F. acuminatum, F. equiseti, F. graminearum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, F. subglutinans, F. verticillioides and F. virguliforme. There were no significant differences among the treatments concerning the Fusarium species composition, for both soybeans and corn. In soybeans Fusarium oxysporum was the most frequently observed saprophyte species, followed by F. solani. For corn the main trends in the data was the predominance in all treatments of F. solani, whose highest frequency was in the no-tillage system.

Natural occurrence of Fusarium species and fumonisin on maize grains in Ethiopia

Fusarium species causing maize kernel rot are major threats to maize production, due to reduction in yield as well as contamination of kernels by mycotoxins that poses a health risk to humans and animals. Two-hundred maize kernel samples, collected from 20 major maize growing areas in Ethiopia were analyzed for the identity, species composition and prevalence of Fusarium species and fumonisin contamination. On average, 38 % (range: 16 to 68 %) of maize kernels were found to be contaminated by different fungal species. Total of eleven Fusarium spp. were identified based on morphological characteristics and by sequencing the partial region of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) gene. Fusarium verticillioides was the dominant species associated with maize kernels (42 %), followed by F. graminearum species complex (22.5 %) and F. pseudoanthophilium (13.4 %). The species composition and prevalence of Fusarium species differed among the areas investigated. Fusarium species composition was as many as eight and as few as four in some growing area. The majority of the maize samples (77 %) were found positive for fumonisin, with concentrations ranging from 25 μg kg−1 to 4500 μg kg−1 (mean: 348 μg kg−1 and median: 258 μg kg−1). Slight variation in fumonisin concentration was also observed among areas. Overall results indicate widespread occurrence of several Fusarium species and contamination by fumonisin mycotoxins. These findings are useful for intervention measures to reduce the impact of the main fungal species and their associated mycotoxins, by creating awareness and implementation of good agricultural practices.

Genus-Specific Primers for Study of Fusarium Communities in Field Samples.

Fusarium is a large and diverse genus of fungi of great agricultural and economic importance, containing many plant pathogens and mycotoxin producers. To date, high-throughput sequencing of Fusarium communities has been limited by the lack of genus-specific primers targeting regions with high discriminatory power at the species level. In the present study, we evaluated two Fusarium-specific primer pairs targeting translation elongation factor 1 (TEF1). We also present the new primer pair Fa+7/Ra+6. Mock Fusarium communities reflecting phylogenetic diversity were used to evaluate the accuracy of the primers in reflecting the relative abundance of the species. TEF1 amplicons were subjected to 454 high-throughput sequencing to characterize Fusarium communities. Field samples from soil and wheat kernels were included to test the method on more-complex material. For kernel samples, a single PCR was sufficient, while for soil samples, nested PCR was necessary. The newly developed primer pairs Fa+7/Ra+6 and Fa/Ra accurately reflected Fusarium species composition in mock DNA communities. In field samples, 47 Fusarium operational taxonomic units were identified, with the highest Fusarium diversity in soil. The Fusarium community in soil was dominated by members of the Fusarium incarnatum-Fusarium equiseti species complex, contradicting findings in previous studies. The method was successfully applied to analyze Fusarium communities in soil and plant material and can facilitate further studies of Fusarium ecology.

Changes in Fusarium Link Species Composition From Lithuanian Wheat Grain in Years 2005-2007 to 2011-2013

Abstract Changes in Fusarium species composition from naturally contaminated spring and winter wheat grain from the years 2005-2007 to 2011-2013 are presented. In general, Fusarium infection spring wheat grain was much more frequent than in winter wheat. In 2005-2007 F. avenaceum was dominant in both crops, with F. sporotrichioides, F. poae and F. culmorum isolated at lower levels, and F. graminearum, F. tricinctum, F. equiseti and F. oxysporum were occasionally found on both spring ant winter wheat. In 2011-2013, F. avenaceum lost its dominating status among Fusarium isolates in both crops, but the species composition of most frequently isolated fusaria in spring and winter wheat was quite different: F. graminearum, F. sporotrichioides, F. culmorum and F. avenaceum constituted the major part of fusaria isolated from spring wheat grain, while in winter wheat F. poae, F. sportotrichooides and the declining F. avenaceum were dominant.

Describing Fusarium diseases on maize in 2013 using data from several production sites

As in other parts of the world, the frequency of weather extremes has increased greatly in Hungary in recent years. This means that maize production is faced with greater risks from all aspects: nutrient replacement, irrigation, plant protection. This is especially true of fusarium diseases. In a continental climate, the pathogens causing the most serious problems are species belonging to the Fusarium genus. They infect the ears, which – besides reducing the yield – poses considerable risk to both human and animal health due to the mycotoxins produced by them. Depending on which Fusarium species are dominant at a given location, changes can be expected in the level of infection and in the quality deterioration caused by the mycotoxins they produce. Fusarium spp. not only damages the maize ears but when pathogen attacks the stalk, the plant dies earlier, reducing grain filling and resulting in small, light ears. In addition, the stalks break or lodge, resulting in further yield losses from ears that cannot be harvested. The degree of infection is fundamentally determined by the resistance traits of the maize hybrids, but also a great role in that region Fusarium species composition as well.

Evidence for a reversible drought induced shift in the species composition of mycotoxin producing Fusarium head blight pathogens isolated from symptomatic wheat heads

Fusarium species are fungal plant pathogens producing toxic secondary metabolites such as deoxynivalenol (DON), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15AcDON) and nivalenol (NIV). In Luxembourg, the Fusarium species composition isolated from symptomatic winter wheat heads was dominated by Fusarium graminearum sensu stricto strains (genetic 15AcDON chemotype) between the years 2009 and 2012, except for 2011, when Fusarium culmorum strains (genetic NIV chemotype) dominated the pathogen complex. Previous reports indicated that F. graminearum sensu stricto (genetic 15AcDON chemotype) was also most frequently isolated from randomly sampled winter wheat kernels including symptomatic as well as asymptomatic kernels in 2007 and 2008. The annual precipitation (average of 10 weather stations scattered across the country) decreased continuously from 924.31mm in 2007 over 917.15mm in 2008, to 843.38mm in 2009, 736.24mm in 2010, and 575.09mm in 2011. In 2012, the annual precipitation increased again to 854.70mm. Hardly any precipitation was recorded around the time of wheat anthesis in the years 2010 and 2011, whereas precipitation levels >50mm within the week preceding anthesis plus the week post anthesis were observed in the other years. The shift to genetic NIV chemotype F. culmorum strains in 2011 was accompanied by a very minor elevation of average NIV contents (2.9ngg−1) in the grain. Our data suggest that high NIV levels in Luxembourgish winter wheat are at present rather unlikely, because the indigenous F. culmorum strains with the genetic NIV chemotype seem to be outcompeted under humid in vivo conditions by F. graminearum DON producing strains on the one hand and seem to be inhibited – even though to a lower extent than DON producing strains – under dry in vivo conditions on the other hand.

Expected shifts in Fusarium species’ composition on cereal grain in Northern Europe due to climatic change

In Northern Europe, changes in climate may result in better growing conditions for many crops. However, the expected warmer and more humid conditions are favourable for Fusarium head blight infections on cereals. The Fusarium species prevalent in Nordic areas to date are the same as in Central Europe: F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum and F. poae. The prevalence of F. graminearum in cereal grain has already increased in Central Europe and is likely to increase in the North due to the expected changes in weather conditions, reduced tillage and the predicted increase in maize cultivation in Nordic countries. The possible weather extremes predispose cereals to Fusarium infections by increasing the populations of insect pests injuring plants. Adverse conditions may even create conditions suitable for F. subglutinans or F. verticilloides to infect maize and possibly other cereals in rotation in southern parts of Scandinavia. The importance of the species that infect in relatively dry conditions, F. langsethiae and F. poae, may also increase on winter cereals which are predicted to be more prevalent in future farming. If the number of crop species cultivated will increase and non-cereal crops are included in rotations effects of reduced tillage on Fusarium infections in grain could be limited. The predicted changes in climate towards 2050 are expected to slightly change Fusarium species composition in Northern Europe. An increase in F. graminearum and possibly the invasion of northern parts of Central Europe and Denmark by fumonisin producers is expected.

Multilocus phylogenetics show high levels of endemic fusaria inhabiting Sardinian soils (Tyrrhenian Islands)

The Mediterranean island of Sardinia is well known for high levels of vascular plant diversity and endemism, but little is known about its microbial diversity. Under the hypothesis that Fusarium species would show similarly high diversity, we estimated variability in Fusarium species composition among 10 sites around the island. Markers previously adopted for multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were used to determine multilocus DNA sequence haplotypes for 263 Fusarium isolates. In addition portions of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha and second largest RNA polymerase subunit genes were sequenced for all isolates. The intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene repeat was sequenced for members of the F. oxysporum species complex (FOSC), and a portion of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene repeat comprising the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and part of the large nuclear ribosomal RNA subunit was sequenced for members of the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Seventy-three multilocus haplotypes were identified among the 263 isolates typed, of which 48 represented FOSC and FSSC. Thirty-seven of 48 FOSC two-locus and FSSC three-locus haplotypes had not been observed previously. The 38 non-FOSC/FSSC fusaria comprised 25 haplotypes distributed among 10 species, five of which appear to represent novel, phylogenetically distinct species. In general newly discovered haplotypes were restricted to one or a few sites. All FSSC isolates represented new haplotypes in phylogenetic species FSSC 5 and 9, which differ from the phylogenetic species dominant in soils worldwide. No obvious correlations were found between haplotype diversity and geospatial or habitat distribution. Overall these results indicate a high degree of Fusarium genetic diversity on multiple geographic scales within Sardinia. These results contrast with recent work showing that common, cosmopolitan species dominate Sardinia’s Trichoderma biodiversity. All data are available for access and viewing from the FUSARIUM-ID database.

Fusarium species complex on maize in Switzerland: occurrence, prevalence, impact and mycotoxins in commercial hybrids under natural infection

The Fusarium species complex of maize kernels and stem pieces as well as mycotoxin contamination of commercial grain maize hybrids for animal feed were evaluated in Switzerland. Throughout 2 years, natural Fusarium infection varied significantly between the years and the locations and it ranged from 0.4% to 49.7% for kernels and from 24.2% to 83.8% for stem pieces. Using the agar plate method, 16 different Fusarium species were isolated from kernels and 15 from stem pieces. The Fusarium species composition, prevalence and impact differed between the north and the south and between kernel and stem piece samples. The dominant species on kernels in the north were F. verticillioides (32.9%), F. graminearum (31.3%), F. proliferatum (7.3%) and F. crookwellense (7.1%), in the south F. verticillioides (57.1%), F. subglutinans (24.6%), F. proliferatum (14.8%) and F. graminearum (1.5%) and on stem pieces F. equiseti (36.0%), F. verticillioides (20.1%), F. graminearum (9.5%), F. crookwellense (6.2%) and F. subglutinans (6.2%). In the south, fumonisin concentration of most hybrids exceeded guidance values for animal feed. Other Fusarium species isolated were F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. oxysporum, F. poae, F. sambucinum, F. semitectum, F. sporotrichioides, F. solani, F. tricinctum and F. venenatum. Maize hybrids varied in their susceptibility to Fusarium infection. Because of the high diversity of Fusarium species encountered in Switzerland representing a high toxigenic potential, we propose to screen maize hybrids for resistance against various Fusarium species and examine maize produce for several mycotoxins in order to ensure feed safety.

The infestation of winter rye and triticale grain withFusariumfungi as affected by fungicide use

Experiments conducted at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture in 2004–2005 were designed to investigate the contamination of winter rye cv. ‘Duoniai’ and triticale cv. ‘Tornado’ grain with fungi of genus Fusarium and mycotoxins produced by them as affected by the spray-applications of the crops with the fungicides propiconazole, tebuconazole, and azoxystrobin at the beginning of anthesis (BBCH 63). Having analysed winter rye and triticale grain samples for Fusarium species composition (Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc, F. sporotrichioides Sherb., F. poae (Peck) Wollenw, F. culmorum (W. G. Sm.) Sacc., F. graminearum Schwabe, F. solani (Mart.) Sacc., F. incarnatum (Desm.) Sacc . F. sambucinum Fuckel) were identified in rye grain — (F. culmorum (W. G. Sm.) Sacc., F. poae (Peck) Wollenw., F. heterosporum Nees) — in triticale grain. The grain samples from winter rye plots sprayed with azoxystrobin were the most heavily affected by Fusarium (42.5%) and the highest contents of DON (691 μg kg−1) and T-2 toxin (153.6 μg kg−1) were identified in them. Tebuconazole reduced the amount of Fusarium-affected grain in rye and triticale, but did not have any effect on mycotoxin production in rye. The grain of triticale not sprayed with fungicides was more heavily contaminated with DON (427 μg kg−1).

Effects of cultivar, agronomic practices, geographic location, and meteorological conditions on the composition of selected Fusarium species on wheat heads

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) heads showing typical fusarium head blight symptoms were sampled two to four weeks after anthesis in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Samples (n = 916) were taken from the susceptible wheat cultivar 'Ritmo' and the moderately susceptible 'Buteo' and 'Dekan', from fungicide-free control plots at 6 to 13 locations per year between the North and Baltic seas. The presence of four Fusarium species (Gibberella zeae, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium poae, and Fusarium avenaceum) in these samples was surveyed using (i) genus and (ii) species-specific primers in PCR assays. Higher frequencies of G. zeae and F. avenaceum were observed in 'Ritmo' compared with 'Buteo', and lower frequencies of F. culmorum were observed in 'Dekan' compared with 'Buteo'. Tillage (ploughing vs. other tillage methods) and previous crops (wheat vs. dicotyledonous crops) had no significant effect on the Fusarium species composition ('Ritmo', P ≥ 0.07). Average leaf wetness between May and the middle of July, as well as during the 10 days flanking the approximate date of anthesis, was positively correlated to relative frequencies of G. zeae (R > 0.44, P ≤ 0.04), but negatively correlated to relative detection frequencies of F. culmorum (R < –0.47, P ≤ 0.02). Temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity during the same periods of time did not influence the detection frequencies observed for any of the species. Overall, the most frequently detected species was G. zeae (41%), with decreasing relative frequencies from the southeast to the northwest of the area surveyed. Fusarium poae, F. culmorum, and F. avenaceum were detected in 12%, 9%, and 13% of the samples, respectively. The presence of one, two, three, or four species co-inhabiting wheat heads was encountered at frequencies of 57%, 19%, 2%, and 0%, respectively. Gibberella zeae and F. culmorum were mainly detected alone, whereas F. poae and F. avenaceum were mainly detected in combination with other species. Relative frequencies of PCR amplicons specific for the genus Fusarium were positively correlated to the deoxynivalenol (DON) content of the grain (R = 0.685, P ≤ 0.0001). The correlation between the percent of samples containing F. poae and the DON content was negative (R = –0.45, P = 0.036). The results of this study indicate that tillage and previous crop may affect the severity of Fusarium epidemics, but they do not change the species composition significantly. In contrast, wheat genotype and leaf wetness affected the spectrum of Fusarium species on wheat heads in a selective manner, and, hence, these factors might also be expected to have an impact on the spectrum of mycotoxins in wheat grain.

Changes in Communities of Fusarium and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi as Related to Different Asparagus Cultural Factors

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a high-value perennial vegetable crop that has shown a marked decline in productivity after many years of continuous harvesting. This decline is caused by an increase in both abiotic (autotoxicity, harvesting pressure) and biotic stresses [fungal infections, mainly Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR)]. To gain insight into disease development and possible mitigation strategies, we studied the effects of harvesting, time in the growing season, and field age on FCRR development, Fusarium species composition, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities in both a controlled field experiment and an ecological survey of commercial fields. In one experiment, a 3-year-old asparagus field was subdivided into plots that were harvested or not and sampled throughout the growing season to assess short-term dominant Fusarium species shifts. In addition, diseased and healthy asparagus plants sampled from six commercial fields in the same geographical region were used to assess Fusarium and AMF communities in relation to different parameters. Fusarium and AMF communities were described by using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach, and results were analyzed by mainly correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. Results showed that dominant Fusarium taxa assemblages changed throughout the growing season. Harvested plots had significantly more FCRR symptomatic plants at the end of the growing season, but this effect was not related with any trend in Fusarium community structure. Sampling site and plant age significantly influenced AMF community structure, whereas only sampling site consistently influenced the Fusarium community. Diseased and healthy plants harbored similar Fusarium and AMF communities. Shifts in Fusarium community might not be responsible for different disease incidence because they are ubiquitous regardless of plant health status or harvesting regime. The different incidence noted might rather be related to plant physiology, antagonist microbial communities, or soil parameters.