Identification and pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. associated with tuber dry rot and wilt of potato in Algeria

Abstract

Fusarium is one of the most important genera of phytopathogenic fungi, causing potato wilt in the field and potato tuber dry rot during storage. The objectives of this study were to identify Fusarium species associated with both potato diseases in different growing regions in Algeria, and to assess their pathogenicity. Among the 152 isolates collected from symptomatic potato plants and tubers in different provinces in Algeria, 13 species of Fusarium and Neocosmospora were identified. Among these three species were isolated only from plants showing symptoms of Fusarium potato wilt (F. oxysporum, F. venenatum, Neocosmospora solani). Two species (F. culmorum, N. tonkinensis) and an isolate of Neocosmospora sp. were found exclusively in tubers with potato dry rot and the remaining ones (F. redolens, F. cf. tricinctum, F. sambucinum, F. cf. incarnatum-equiseti, F. nygamai, F. brachygibbosum and N. falciformis) were associated with both sample types. Fusarium sambucinum was the most frequent species (52.6% of isolates). Fusarium oxysporum and F. nygamai isolates were the most aggressive in the potato wilt pathogenicity test, and F. sambucinum isolates were the most aggressive in the potato tuber pathogenicity test. This is the first study identifying and characterizing potato dry rot and potato wilt pathogens in Algeria.

Pest categorisation of Fusarium brachygibbosum

“…(2017), Azil et al. (2021) Sorghum vulgare PoaceaeSorghumPadwick (1945) Trifolium subterraneum FabaceaeSubterranean cloverTan et al. (2011) Triticum aestivum GraminaceaeWheatAli et al.…”

“…Intraspecific diversity has not been described and in most cases only single isolates were tested in pathogenicity experiments (e.g. Al‐Sadi et al., 2012; Akgül and Ahioğlu, 2019; Ali et al., 2020; Al‐Nadabi et al., 2020; Özer et al., 2020; Azil et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2021). However, inoculation of 14 F. brachygibbosum isolates on sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp.…”

Infection capacity of fungi associated with dry rot disease of yam tubers

“…En cuanto a la especie DH17-F. equiseti se ha reportado que dicho hongo produce compuestos metabólicos (zearalenone diacetoxiscirpenol, monoacetoxyscirpenol y scirpentriol), los cuales son altamente fitotóxicos (Kosiak et al, 2005;Kostić et al, 2019;Vedovatto et al, 2020). No obstante, Azil et al (2021) reporta ocho aislamientos identificados como F. equiseti en tubérculos de Solanum tuberosum con síntomas de podredumbre seca en las regiones de Argelia, presentando micotoxinas como tricotecenos y zearalenona, las cuales presentan una alta toxicidad. Las especies del Fusarium se han descrito como hongos filamentosos ocasionales, incluidos como patógenos oportunistas infectando diverso tipo de plantas en todo el mundo, pero a su vez pueden crecer como saprofitos en un rango de zonas climáticas (Stępień et al, 2020) y presenta una producción de metabolitos secundarios tóxicos, que son motivo de preocupación para la salud humana y animal (Li et al, 2020).…”

Bipolarithizole A, an antifungal phenylthiazole-sativene merosesquiterpenoid from the potato endophytic fungus Bipolaris eleusines

“…2 Regrettably, about 22% of potatoes are lost annually due to microbial and pest attack, resulting in severe economic damage of the crop with about 65 million tons of crop loss. 2,3 Several potato diseases caused by plant pathogens, such as Phytophthora infestans (late blight), 4 Alternaria solani (early blight), 5 Rhizoctonia solani (black scurf), 6 and Fusarium oxysporum (blast), 7 are considered the most pervasive microbial diseases. At present, the common antimicrobial agents against potato diseases are a variety of synthetic fungicides, which in addition to being beneficial, also have adverse effects on the host and the environment, resulting in pathogen resistance to the fungicides.…”