2025/09/13 by Guo-Fang Zhang, Han Zhang, Jiarong Yu +2 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases #Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food #Plant Disease Management Techniques
paper · doi:10.1094/pdis-05-25-1007-sr
openalex publication_date 2025/09/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Strawberry Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium spp., is one of the most devastating diseases threatening the Chinese strawberry industry. In this study, 64 representative Fusarium strains were isolated from diseased crowns and petioles of strawberry plants cultivated in six key production areas across Zhejiang Province, where disease incidence ranged from 30 to 50% from July to December. Morphological characterization, multilocus phylogenetic analysis, and pathogenicity tests identified these strains as three distinct species: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae (Fof) (48 strains, 75%) in the F. oxysporum species complex, F. luffae (9 strains, 14.06%) in the F. incarnatum-equiseti species complex, and F. commune (7 strains, 10.94%) in the F. nisikadoi species complex. Among these species, Fof was dominant, with the fastest colony growth at temperatures above 28°C. Pathogenicity tests revealed that Fof isolates resulted in the highest disease severity, followed by F. commune. This study presents the first report of Fof as a causal agent of strawberry Fusarium wilt in Zhejiang, China, and of F. luffae causing Fusarium wilt of strawberry worldwide. The identification and pathogenicity characterization of Fusarium species causing strawberry wilt provides valuable information for the effective management of the disease in China.