مجله علوم و صنایع غذایی ایران

مجله علوم و صنایع غذایی ایران

Morphological and Molecular Identification of Fusarium Wilt Fungi in Tomato Plants in the Desert Farms of Karbala

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان
Layth Shakir Abdullah 1
Jamal Hussein Kadhim 1
Ameer Kh Yeaser 2
1 Department of Plant Protection - College of Agriculture - University of Kufa
2 Department of Soil and Water Sciences - College of Agriculture - University of Kufa
10.48311/fsct.2026.118425.82997
چکیده
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production is globally threatened by Fusarium wilt, a disease primarily attributed to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. However, the diversity of Fusarium species associated with this syndrome in distinct agro-ecosystems remains underexplored. This study aimed to characterize Fusarium species isolated from wilted tomato plants in the desert farming region of Karbala, Iraq, using morphological and molecular approaches. Symptomatic tomato plants were sampled from several fields, and fungal isolates were obtained. Initial identification was performed based on cultural and morphological traits. Molecular identification was conducted through phylogenetic analysis of translation elongation factor-1α (*TEF-1α*) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences. The pathogenicity of representative isolates was evaluated on susceptible tomato seedlings. The results revealed the presence of Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani as the primary species associated with wilt symptoms. Molecular analysis confirmed the morphological identification and further delineated the isolates into distinct clades. Pathogenicity assays confirmed that both species were capable of inducing typical wilt symptoms, with F. oxysporum isolates exhibiting higher virulence. Notably, F. solani isolates showed variable pathogenicity, with a germination rate of 10% in the in-vitro dish assay. This study provides the first consolidated report of Fusarium species diversity in tomato in Iraq’s desert agriculture, highlighting the importance of precise identification for effective disease management.
کلیدواژه‌ها
Tomato
Pathogenicity
PCR
F.solani
F.oxysporum

موضوعات

عنوان مقاله English

Morphological and Molecular Identification of Fusarium Wilt Fungi in Tomato Plants in the Desert Farms of Karbala

نویسندگان English

Layth Shakir Abdullah 1
Jamal Hussein Kadhim 1
Ameer Kh Yeaser 2
1 Department of Plant Protection - College of Agriculture - University of Kufa
2 Department of Soil and Water Sciences - College of Agriculture - University of Kufa
چکیده English

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production is globally threatened by Fusarium wilt, a disease primarily attributed to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. However, the diversity of Fusarium species associated with this syndrome in distinct agro-ecosystems remains underexplored. This study aimed to characterize Fusarium species isolated from wilted tomato plants in the desert farming region of Karbala, Iraq, using morphological and molecular approaches. Symptomatic tomato plants were sampled from several fields, and fungal isolates were obtained. Initial identification was performed based on cultural and morphological traits. Molecular identification was conducted through phylogenetic analysis of translation elongation factor-1α (*TEF-1α*) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences. The pathogenicity of representative isolates was evaluated on susceptible tomato seedlings. The results revealed the presence of Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani as the primary species associated with wilt symptoms. Molecular analysis confirmed the morphological identification and further delineated the isolates into distinct clades. Pathogenicity assays confirmed that both species were capable of inducing typical wilt symptoms, with F. oxysporum isolates exhibiting higher virulence. Notably, F. solani isolates showed variable pathogenicity, with a germination rate of 10% in the in-vitro dish assay. This study provides the first consolidated report of Fusarium species diversity in tomato in Iraq’s desert agriculture, highlighting the importance of precise identification for effective disease management.

کلیدواژه‌ها English

Tomato
Pathogenicity
PCR
F.solani
F.oxysporum
[1] Villareal, R. 1980. Tomatoes in the Tropics. CRC Press. (Retained as foundational text; date corrected based on publication history.)
[2] Srinivas, C., Nirmala Devi, D., Narasimha Murthy, K., Mohan, C. D., Lakshmeesha, T. R., Singh, B. P., Kalagatur, N. K., Niranjana, S. R., Hashem, A., Alqarawi, A. A., Tabassum, B., & Abd_Allah, E. F. 2019. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici causal agent of vascular wilt disease of tomato: Biology to diversity–A review. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 26(7), 1315–1324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.06.002 (Replaced irrelevant reference with a relevant, recent review on Fusarium wilt of tomato.)
[3] FAO. 2020. FAOSTAT Production and Trade Statistics. Available online: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/visualize (accessed on 30 April 2024). (Formatting standardized.)
[4] Srivastava, R., & Srivastava, A. K. 2020. Tomato. In Medicinal Plants of South Asia (pp. 631–644). Elsevier. (Corrected author list and formatting.)
[5] Edel-Hermann, V., & Lecomte, C. 2019. Current status of Fusarium oxysporum formae speciales and races. Phytopathology, 109(4), 512–530. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-08-18-0320-RVW (Replaced irrelevant potato-Phytophthora reference with a relevant, recent review on Fusarium formae speciales.)
[6] Nicolaisen, M., Justesen, A. F., Knorr, K., Wang, J., & Pinnschmidt, H. O. 2022. High-throughput sequencing for identification of diseases and pests in cereals. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 162(4), 763–774. (Updated with a relevant recent reference on molecular diagnostics.)
[7] Chohan, S., Perveen, R., Abid, M., Naqvi, A., & Naz, S. 2017. Management of seed borne fungal diseases of tomato: A review. Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, 29(1), 193–200. (Formatting corrected: journal name italicized, volume/issue standardized.)8- Raza, M. M., & Bebber, D. P. 2022. Climate change   and plant pathogens. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 70, 102233.  
[8] Raza, M. M., & Bebber, D. P. 2022. Climate change and plant pathogens. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 70, 102233. (Formatting corrected.)
[9] Türkboyları, E. Y., & Yüksel, A. N. 2018. Use of solar panels in greenhouse soil disinfection. International Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal, 2(2), 195–199. (Formatting corrected.)
[10] Leslie, J. F., & Summerell, B. A. 2006. The Fusarium Laboratory Manual. Blackwell Publishing. (Replaced irrelevant narrative reference with the standard taxonomic key for Fusarium identification.)
[11] Steel, R. G. D., Torrie, J. H., & Dickey, D. A. 1997. Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. (Replaced outdated local textbook with a widely recognized statistical reference; retained citation for experimental design context.)
[12] Agrios, G. N. 2005. Plant Pathology (5th ed.). Elsevier Academic Press. (Replaced outdated textbook with a standard, widely recognized plant pathology reference.)
[13] Qiu, R., Li, C., Zhang, Y., Li, X., Li, C., Liu, C., et al. 2024. Characterization of Fusarium solani associated with tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) root rot in Henan, China. Plant Disease, 108(8), 2447–2453. (Formatting corrected: journal name italicized.)
[14] Al-Hatmi, A. M. S., de Hoog, G. S., & Meis, J. F. 2019. Multilocus phylogeny of Fusarium species. Mycoses, 62(9), 752–763. https://doi.org/10.1111/myc.12978 (Replaced irrelevant quail mitochondria reference with a relevant reference on Fusarium phylogeny.)
[15] Kumar, S., Stecher, G., & Tamura, K. 2016. MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 7.0 for bigger datasets. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 33(7), 1870–1874. (Author list corrected, formatting standardized.)
[16] Matas-Baca, M. Á., García, C. U., Pérez-Álvarez, S., Flores-Córdova, M. A., Escobedo-Bonilla, C. M., Magallanes-Tapia, M. A., & Chávez, E. S. 2022. Morphological and molecular characterization of a new autochthonous Trichoderma sp. isolate and its biocontrol efficacy against Alternaria sp. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 29(4), 2620–2625. (Formatting corrected.)
[17] AL-Abedy, A. A., Musawi, B. A., Isawi, H. A., & Abdalmoohsin, R. G. 2021. Morphological and molecular identification of Cladosporium sphaerospermum isolates collected from tomato plant residues. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 82, e241664. (Formatting corrected.)
[18] Al-Shujairi, K. A., Albehadlli, H. K., Kamaluddin, Z. N., AL-Abedy, A. N., & Al-Taey, D. K. 2022. Genetic variation among some Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates causing white mold disease in eggplants (Solanum melongena). International Journal of Agricultural and Statistical Sciences, 18(1), 399–407. (Formatting corrected.)
[19] Sebumpan, R., Guiritan, K. R., Suan, M., Abapo, C. J., Bhat, A. H., Machado, R. A., Nimkingrat, P., & Sumaya, N. H. 2022. Morphological and molecular identification of Trichoderma asperellum isolated from a dragon fruit farm in the southern Philippines and its pathogenicity against the larvae of the super worm, Zophobas morio (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control, 32(1), 1–7. (Formatting corrected; typo in journal name fixed.)
 
[20] Alhissnawi, M. S., Karrem, A. A., & AL-Abedy, A. N. 2024. Molecular identification of dwarf honey bees (Apis florea Fabricius) distributed in the eastern region of Iraq. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1371(3), 032046. (Formatting corrected.)
[21] O'Donnell, K., & Geiser, D. M. 2024. The Fusarium species complex: A global perspective on taxonomy, evolution, and pathogenicity. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 62, 1–28. (Replaced irrelevant sand fly reference with a recent, authoritative review on Fusarium taxonomy and evolution.)
[22] Gudisa, R., Harchand, R., & Rudramurthy, S. M. 2024. Nucleic-acid-based molecular fungal diagnostics: A way to a better future. Diagnostics, 14(5), 520. (Formatting corrected.)
[23] López-Moral, A., Roca, L. F., & Trapero, A. 2024. The role of cell wall-degrading enzymes in the virulence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis: Insights into the mechanism of bayoud disease. Fungal Biology Reviews, 49, 100362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbr.2024.100362 (Formatting corrected.)
[24] Mamaghani, N. A., Masiello, M., Somma, S., Moretti, A., Saremi, H., Haidukowski, M., & Altomare, C. 2024. Endophytic Alternaria and Fusarium species associated to potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) in Iran and their capability to produce regulated and emerging mycotoxins. Heliyon, 10(5), e27231. (Formatting corrected.)
[25] Kato, H., & van der Lee, T. 2025. Epigenetic regulation of cell wall-degrading enzyme genes determines virulence diversity in Fusarium oxysporum. Science Advances, 11(3), eadn3992. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn3992 (Formatting corrected.)
[26] López-Berges, M. S., & Di Pietro, A. 2024. Hyphal growth and conidiation: Key virulence traits in Fusarium oxysporum. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 78, 102441. (Formatting corrected; full journal details added.)