Influence of Nutrition Media and Temperature on the Growth and Development of the Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Cucumerinum Owen – The Causative Agent of Fusarium Wilt of Cucumber

Abstract

Fusarium wilt of cucumber is a dangerous disease that causes significant crop losses. The development of effective disease control measures is based on a comprehensive understanding of the ecology of the causative agent of the disease – the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum Owen, which has not been sufficiently studied under the conditions of Ukraine. The purpose of the work is to study the influence of nutrient media and temperature conditions on the growth and development of the in vitro fungus F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. The research was carried out according to the methods generally accepted in phytopathology and mycology, in the problem research laboratory "Mycology and Phytopathology" of the Department of Phytopathology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. It was established that the substrate and temperature factors influenced the vegetative growth and sporulation of F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. The maximum rate of mycelial growth of the fungus was observed on potato-glucose and potato-carrot agar. The most intensive sporulation of the pathogen was noted on potato-glucose agar – 8.3 million pcs./cm2, which is 4.79-6.98 million pcs./cm2 more compared to other investigated media. Optimum for vegetative growth of F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum temperature was 30 °C. The most intensive sporulation of the pathogen occurred at a temperature of 25 °C and amounted to 9.66 million units/cm2. The results of research by various authors indicate the variability of ecological features of the fungus F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, which indicates the expediency of studying pathogens isolated in the conditions of a specific region and agricultural culture. The obtained results of the ecological features of the fungus can be used to develop an artificial infectious background.