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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #400337
Research Project: Development of Economically Important Row Crops that Improve the Resilience of U.S. Agricultural Production to Present and Future Production Challenges

Location: Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research

Title: Characterization of FOV4 and new Fusarium variants isolated from cotton roots in California and Texas

Author
item Jobe, Timothy
item GARCIA, JORGE - Fresno State University
item Ulloa, Mauricio
item ELLIS, MARGARET - Fresno State University

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2023
Publication Date: 6/5/2023
Citation: Jobe, T.O., Garcia, J., Ulloa, M., Ellis, M.L. 2023. Characterization of FOV4 and new Fusarium variants isolated from cotton roots in California and Texas. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp vasinfectum (FOV) is a significant cotton pathogen causing vascular wilt, browning of the vascular tissues, and plant death in the most severe cases. While multiple races of this pathogen have been identified, FOV race 4 (FOV4) is currently considered to be the most virulent in the U.S. This highly infectious pathogen has been isolated from soils in California, far West Texas, and New Mexico where it has caused significant crop and economic losses in these major cotton producing regions. Preventing the spread of this pathogen to other cotton growing areas and developing resistant cotton varieties to mitigate FOV4 losses in affected regions are key goals of the cotton community. To meet these goals, there is an urgent need to improve our molecular understanding of FOV and identify key differences between FOV races. In the current study, we have isolated Fusarium strains from plant roots exhibiting Fusarium wilt symptoms from field sites known to have FOV4 in Texas and California. Sequencing results confirmed the presence of FOV4 and FOV3. Surprisingly, we also isolated additional Fusarium species, as well as additional FOV races and new variants of FOV that have not been previously described. Results of our initial phylogenetic characterization of these isolates will be presented along with the results of a screen for putative effector genes associated with pathogenicity of Fusarium in other plant hosts.