Molecular Characterization of Fusarium proliferatum and F. equiseti of Pisum sativum Seed

Abstract

Backgraund: The presence or absence of fungi on the seed surface is an important aspect that determines the quality of seeds. Since the data on the presence of Fusarium spp. and other seed-borne pathogens on vegetable pea in Serbia are scarce, the aim of this study was to isolate seed-borne pathogens and identify the disease-causing Fusarium spp. from the infected pea seed. Methods: Colony morphology and microscopic characters of isolated Fusarium species were recorded from the cultures grown on PDA and CLA, respectively. In order to confirm the morphological identification at the species level, a single-spore culture of the representative isolates was subjected to genomic DNA extraction and gene amplification using the translational elongation factor 1α (TEF-1α) region. The PCR products were sequenced and the sequences were compared against the GenBank nucleotide database by using the BLAST alignment. Result: Based on morphological and microscopic characteristics, as well as molecular identification by sequencing the TEF gene, the presence of Fusarium equiseti and F. proliferatum was confirmed on the representative isolates Ps18, Ps19 and Ps1, Ps36 obtained from vegetable pea seeds, respectively. According to our knowledge and research, this is the first report of F. equiseti and F. proliferatum on vegetable pea seeds in Serbia.

Bio-Priming with Bacillus Isolates Suppresses Seed Infection and Improves the Germination of Garden Peas in the Presence of Fusarium Strains

“…are of particular importance due to their impact on the overall seed health, seed germination, and crop stand in the field. In recent studies, based on the tef-1α sequencing, the occurrence of F. proliferatum and F. equiseti strains was confirmed on the garden pea seeds [9], as well as the presence of F. proliferatum and F. graminearum on the common bean and soybean seeds, respectively [23,24]. In general, Fusarium spp.…”

“…Pathogenic fungi were obtained from the Laboratory for Seed Testing of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS), Serbia. Four strains of Fusarium were tested: two strains, F. proliferatum PS1 and F. equiseti PS18, were isolated from symptomatic garden pea seeds [9], and the other two strains, F. proliferatum P1 and F. graminearum S1, were isolated from the infected common bean and soybean seeds, respectively [23,24]. The pathogens were isolated during routine seed health analyses, while seeds originated from the Rimski Šančevi experimental field (45 • 20 ′ 00 ′′ N, 19 • 51 ′ 00 ′′ E) in Serbia.…”

“…can cause serious damage at all stages of crop growth and total yield losses in highly infested fields. Recently, Fusarium species were detected on garden pea seeds, with up to 10% of infected seeds per sample during routine quality control [9]. Since peas are mostly used as food, an additional concern is seed contamination with fungal biomass and the production of Fusarium mycotoxins [10].…”