Introduction to Fungi, Third Edition

346 HYMENOASCOMYCETES: PYRENOMYCETES
Table 12.3. Some species of Fusarium causing plant diseases of economic importance. From Holliday (1998).
Anamorph Teleomorph Disease caused and name of host
F. culmorum not known cortical rot, foot rot and pre-emergence blight of
temperate cereals; head blight of barley,
wheat and rye
F. oxysporum not known a wide range of wilts, yellows and foot rots
F. oxysporum f. sp. apii not known celery yellows
F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae not known basalrot and storage rot of onion
F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense not known Panama wilt of banana
F. oxysporum f. sp. dianthi not known wilt of carnation and pinks
F. oxysporum f. sp. elaeidis not known oil palm wilt
F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici not known tomato wilt
F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi not known pea wilt
F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum not known cotton wilt
F. solani Nectria
haematococca
root and collar rot of many plants; canker of
woody crops
F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae not known foot rot of cucumber and melon
F. solani f. sp. coeruleum not known storage rot and dry rot of potato
F. avenaceum Gibberella
avenacea
damping off and rootdamage to cereals, conifers
andlegumes
F. sulphureum G. cyanogena storage rot and dry rot of potato tubers
F. moniliforme G. fujikuroi diseases of many plants, e.g. banana black heart,
cotton bollrot, maize and sorghum stalk rots,
rice seedling bakanae disease
F. sambucinum G. pulicaris hop canker, potato storage rot, root rot of
many crops
F. graminearum G. zeae numerous diseases of temperate and tropical cereals,
e.g. pre- and post-emergence blights, root and
foot rot, culm decay, head or kernel blight,
ear scab and stalk rot.
intercellular growth through the root tip into
the xylem vessels (Bishop & Cooper, 1983). In
planta, F. oxysporum exists mainly as microconidia
which can spread in the xylem vessels. Sieve
plates are overcome by germination and penetration,
followed by the production of further
microconidia. Wilting is caused by blockage of
the xylem by fungal biomass and also by the
accumulation of gums of plant origin, some of
them released by fungal pectinase activity (Pegg,
1985; Beckman, 1987). In cross section, infected
stem bases show a browning of the vascular
bundles. The host plant eventually dies because
of water shortage (wilting), and after host death
extensive colonization of host tissue and sporulation
of F. oxysporum ensues. Extensive work
is being carried out especially on molecular
biological aspects of wilt diseases caused by