The Genome of Banana Leaf Blight Pathogen Fusarium sacchari str. FS66 Harbors Widespread Gene Transfer From Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract

Fusarium species have been identified as pathogens causing many different plant diseases, and here we report an emerging banana leaf blight (BLB) caused by F. sacchari (Fs) discovered in Guangdong, China. From the symptomatic tissues collected in the field, a fungal isolate was obtained, which induced similar symptoms on healthy banana seedlings after inoculation. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled after the re-isolation of the pathogen. Phylogenetic analysis on two gene segments and the whole genome sequence identified the pathogen belonging to Fs and named as Fs str. FS66. A 45.74 Mb genome of FS66 was acquired through de novo assembly using long-read sequencing data, and its contig N50 (1.97 Mb) is more than 10-fold larger than the previously available genome in the species. Based on transcriptome sequencing and ab initio gene annotation, a total of 14,486 protein-encoding genes and 418 non-coding RNAs were predicted. A total of 48 metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters including the fusaric acid biosynthesis gene cluster were predicted in silico in the FS66 genome. Comparison between FS66 and other 11 Fusarium genomes identified tens to hundreds of genes specifically gained and lost in FS66, including some previously correlated with Fusarium pathogenicity. The FS66 genome also harbors widespread gene transfer on the core chromosomes putatively from F. oxysporum species complex (FOSC), including 30 involved in Fusarium pathogenicity/virulence. This study not only reports the BLB caused by Fs, but also provides important information and clues for further understanding of the genome evolution among pathogenic Fusarium species.

Fusarium mindanaoense sp. nov., a New Fusarium Wilt Pathogen of Cavendish Banana from the Philippines Belonging to the F. fujikuroi Species Complex

“…The SIX genes play a role in the pathogenicity of Fusarium wilt; SIX1, SIX2, SIX6, SIX7, SIX9G1, SIX11, and SIX13 were detected in the FFSC species [34,37]. The present study showed that the F. mindanaoense genome possessed the SIX6 gene exclusively, which matched with those of the FFSC with low e-values (Table 2; 0-3.92 × 10 −125 ).…”

“…), and F. musae (fruit rot on Musa sp.) belonging to FFSC were reported as banana pathogens [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. These species do not cause Fusarium wilt of bananas.…”

Identification of Fusarium oxysporum Causing Leaf Blight on Dendrobium chrysotoxum in Yunnan Province, China

“…The genus Fusarium comprises the most important and notorious fungi, consisting of diverse species of complex and economically destructive phytopathogens associated with leaf-blight diseases on a wide range of host plants, for example, banana leaf-blight disease, peanut leaf blight, and plum leaf blight [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Some Dendrobium plants have been reported as disease hosts caused by Fusarium spp., for example, dieback disease [ 43 ] and soft rot disease of D. officinale in China [ 44 ] and leaf blotch of D. antennatum in Malaysia [ 45 ].…”

Does agricultural cooperative membership influence off‐farm work decisions of farm couples?

“…Extreme weather events and pathogens have compromised banana harvests in China. For example, typhoon Mangkhut ravaged banana crops in Guangdong in 2018, and Fusarium Sacchari (a fungal plant pathogen affecting banana leaves) was also discovered in the province in 2016 (Cui et al 2021). The resources available to farmers via agricultural cooperatives can help them learn new adaptation and mitigation strategies to cope with such adversities.…”