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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #321921
Title: Detoxification of the Fusarium toxin fusaric acid by the soil fungus Aspergillus

Author
item Crutcher, Frankie
item Liu, Jinggao
item Puckhaber, Lorraine
item Stipanovic, Robert - Bob
item Duke, Sara
item Bell, Alois - Al
item WILLIAMS, HOWARD - Texas A&M University
item NICHOLS, ROBERT - Cotton, Inc

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2014
Publication Date: 1/7/2014
Citation: Crutcher, F.K., Liu, J., Puckhaber, L.S., Stipanovic, R.D., Duke, S.E., Bell, A.A., Williams, H.J., Nichols, R.L. 2014. Detoxification of the Fusarium toxin fusaric acid by the soil fungus Aspergillus [abstract]. Beltwide Cotton Conferences, January 6-8, 2014, New Orleans, LA. p. 293.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) causes Fusarium wilt in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and produces the toxin fusaric acid (FA). Previous research indicates that in the high producing strains of Fov, FA plays an important role in virulence. To address the problems of emerging virulent isolates, such as Australian biotype and California race 4 isolates possessing high FA production capacity, mechanisms of FA detoxification in microorganisms have been evaluated. Screening of a soil sample from a cotton field infested with reniform nematode and Fov identified and isolated an Aspergillus tubingensis strain with high tolerance to FA. HPLC analysis of culture filtrates from A. tubingensis grown in the presence of FA showed that FA concentration decreased, and an unknown compound appeared and increased over time. Spectral analysis and chemical synthesis identified the compound as 5-butylpyridine-2-methanol (fusarinol). The phytotoxicity of fusarinol compared to FA at different concentrations was measured by the ability of the compound to cause necrosis on cotton (cv. Coker 312) cotyledons. The toxic effects of fusarinol are significantly less than FA, provding a novel detoxification mechanism against FA mediated disease.