Race 4 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) is an emerging problem for cotton production in the U.S. because it is significantly more pathogenic than races 1 and 2 which are endemic to the U.S. Race 4 is a prodigious producer of the phytotoxin fusaric acid compared to races 1 and 2. When the biosynthesis of fusaric acid is blocked in Fov isolates that produce high quantities of fusaric acid, their pathogenicity is significantly reduced. Thus, fusaric acid production appears to be a critical factor in the enhanced pathogenicity of Fov race 4. We have established that Talaromyces flavus and other microorganisms can degrade fusaric acid to a compound called fusarinol; the latter is less toxic to cotton than fusaric acid. T. flavus has been studied as a biocontrol agent of cotton pathogens. To further investigate the role of fusaric acid in the pathogenicity of Fov race 4, we tested T. flavus, as well as other microorganisms that convert fusaric acid to fusarinol, for their ability to control the pathogenicity of Fov race 4. Results of these investigations will be presented.

Can a biological reduce the pathogenicity of the plant pathogen <i>Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum</i> by degrading the phytotoxin fusaric acid?

248th National Meeting (2014)

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Can a biological reduce the pathogenicity of the plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum by degrading the phytotoxin fusaric acid?