Polyphasic Approach Used for Distinguishing Fusarium temperatum from Fusarium subglutinans

Morphological, biological, and phylogenetic approaches were undertaken for the identification of pathogenic species F. temperatum in the Serbian population of F. subglutinans collected in the ۱۹۹۹-۲۰۱۰ period from Zea mays (۳ root, ۱۵ stalk, and ۶ seed samples), Sorghum bicolor (two seed samples), Hordeum vulgare (one seed sample) and Taraxacum officinale (one seed sample). Based on interspecies mating compatibility analyses and the maximum parsimony analysis of EF-۱α sequences, only two strains, originating from S. bicolor seed (MRIZP ۰۴۱۸ and MRIZP ۰۵۵۲), were identified as F. temperatum, while the remaining ۲۶ single-spore strains were identified as F. subglutinans Group ۲. In situ detached barley leaf assay and artificially stalk and ear inoculation of two maize hybrids demonstrated that both F. temperatum and F. subglutinans strains were medium and strong pathogens under laboratory and field conditions, respectively. These are the first data on the F. temperatum as seed-borne pathogens of sorghum, as well as pathogenicity of F. temperatum strains on maize.

Keywords:

Maize , Maximum parsimony analysis , Polyphasic approach of identification , Sorghum seed.