Identification and Pathogenicity of Fusarium Fungi Associated with Dry Rot of Potato Tubers

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) 2024-03, Vol.12 (3), p.598
• Main Authors: Gavrilova, Olga, Orina, Aleksandra, Trubin, Ilya, Gagkaeva, Tatiana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Damage; Datasets; Dry rot; F. mori; F. noneumartii; F. stercicola; F. vanettenii; F. venenatum; Fungi; Fusarium; Fusarium sambucinum; Growth rate; Host plants; Necrosis; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Physiology; Potatoes; RNA polymerase; Species; Tubers; Vegetables
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12030598

Dry rot of potato tubers is a harmful disease caused by species of the genus. Studies on the composition and features of spp. that cause the disease in Russia are limited. Thirty-one strains belonging to the species complex (FSAMSC) and species complex (FSSC) were accurately identified using multilocus phylogenetic analysis of the and loci, and their physiological characteristics were studied in detail. As a result, 21 strains of s. str. and 1 strain of within the FSAMSC were identified. Among the analyzed strains within the FSSC, one strain of , four strains of , and two strains of both and species were identified. This is the first record of on potato as a novel host plant, and the first detection of and species in Russia. The clear optimal temperature for the growth of the strains belonging to FSAMSC was noted to be 25 °C, with a growth rate of 11.6-15.0 mm/day, whereas, for the strains belonging to FSSC, the optimal temperature range was between 25 and 30 °C, with a growth rate of 5.5-14.1 mm/day. The distinctive ability of strains to grow at 5 °C has been demonstrated. All analyzed strains were pathogenic to potato cv. Gala and caused extensive damage of the tuber tissue at an incubation temperature of 23 °C for one month. Among the fungi belonging to the FSAMSC, the strains were more aggressive and caused 23.9 ± 2.2 mm of necrosis in the tubers on average compared to the strain-17.7 ± 1.2 mm. Among the fungi belonging to the FSSC, the strains were the most aggressive and caused 32.2 ± 0.8 mm of necrosis on average. The aggressiveness of the , , and especially the strains was significantly lower: the average sizes of damage were 17.5 ± 0.5 mm, 17.2 ± 0.2 mm, and 12.5 ± 1.7 mm, respectively. At an incubation temperature of 5 °C, only the strains caused tuber necroses in the range of 6.7 ± 0.5-15.9 ± 0.8 mm.