Molecular Variability of the Fusarium solani Species Complex Associated with Fusarium Wilt of Melon in Iran

Fatemeh Sabahi; Zia Banihashemi; Maryam Mirtalebi; Martijn Rep; Santa Olga Cacciola

doi:10.3390/jof9040486

Molecular Variability of the Fusarium solani Species Complex Associated with Fusarium Wilt of Melon in Iran

J Fungi (Basel). 2023 Apr 18;9(4):486. doi: 10.3390/jof9040486.

Authors

Fatemeh Sabahi¹, Zia Banihashemi¹, Maryam Mirtalebi¹, Martijn Rep², Santa Olga Cacciola³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7144165186, Iran.
² Molecular Plant Pathology, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.

Abstract

Species of the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) are responsible for the Fusarium wilt disease of melon (Cucumis melo), a major disease of this crop in Iran. According to a recent taxonomic revision of Fusarium based primarily on multilocus phylogenetic analysis, Neocosmospora, a genus distinct from Fusarium sensu stricto, has been proposed to accommodate the FSSC. This study characterized 25 representative FSSC isolates from melon collected in 2009-2011 during a field survey carried out in five provinces of Iran. Pathogenicity assays showed the isolates were pathogenic on different varieties of melon and other cucurbits, including cucumber, watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, and bottle gourd. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of three genetic regions, including nrDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S nrDNA large subunit (LSU) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), Neocosmospora falciformis (syn. F. falciforme), N. keratoplastica (syn. F. keratoplasticum), N. pisi (syn. F. vanettenii), and Neocosmospora sp. were identified among the Iranian FSSC isolates. The N. falciformis isolates were the most numerous. This is the first report of N. pisi causing wilt and root rot disease in melon. Iranian FSSC isolates from different regions in the country shared the same multilocus haplotypes suggesting a long-distance dispersal of FSSC, probably through seeds.

Keywords: Cucumis melo; FSSC; Neocosmospoa sp.; Neocosmospora falciformis; Neocosmospora keratoplastica; Neocosmospora pisi; haplotypes; pathogenicity; phylogenetic analysis.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Centre for International Scientific Studies & Collaboration (CISSC), Ministry of Science, Research & Technology, Iran. This study was also funded by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), award number 92033695. This research was also funded by the University of Catania, Italy “Investigation of phytopathological problems of the main Sicilian productive contexts and eco-sustainable defense strategies (ME-DIT-ECO)” PiaCeRi-PIAno di inCEntivi per la Ricerca di Ateneo 2020-22 linea 2” “5A722192155”, by PON “RICERCA E INNOVAZIONE” 2014–2020, Azione II-Obiettivo Specifico 1b-Progetto “Miglioramento delle produzioni agroalimentari mediterranee in condizioni di carenza di risorse idriche-WATER4AGRIFOOD”, B64I2000016000500, by the project “Smart and innovative packaging, postharvest rot management, and shipping of organic citrus fruit (BiOrangePack)” under the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA)—H2020 (E69C20000130001), by the “Italie–Tunisie Cooperation Program 2014–2020” project “PROMETEO «Un village transfrontalier pour protéger les cultures arboricoles méditerranéennes en partageant les connaissances» cod. C-5-2.1-36, CUP 453E25F2100118000 and by the by European Union (NextGeneration EU), through the MUR-PNRR project SAMOTHRACE (ECS00000022).