Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi, vol.26, no.2, pp.292-305, 2021 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Aims: The aims of the study were to reveal the incidence of Fusarium Foot Rot Disease of Wheat in Osmaniye Province, to determine Fusarium species associated with the disease and their pathogenicity.
Methods and Results: In 2018, totally 51 fields were surveyed in Osmaniye and nearby districts and plant samples were collected. Fusarium species and the other fungi were isolated according to standard mycological procedure and classical / molecular methods were followed for their identification. Pathogenicity tests were conducted in pots in outside for 4.5 months and the virulence of the isolates were determined by lesion occurrence on the crown of plants.
According to results; the disease prevalence, average disease incidence and severity in the region were found to be 100%, 71% and 31.7% respectively. Eight Fusarium species (F. acuminatum, F. algeriense, F. brachygibbosum, F. culmorum, F. equiseti, F. incarnatum, F. nygamai and F. pseudograminearum) furthermore Septoriella hirta, Microdochium nivale, Rhizoctionia sp. and the other species were isolated from the symptomatic plants. Among these fungi, the most frequently isolated species were Septoriella hirta (49.3%), Microdochium nivale (13.5%), Rhizoctonia sp. (13.1%) and Fusarium acuminatum (13.0%). According to pathogenicity test results, the most virulent Fusarium species were F. pseudograminearum, F. culmorum and F. incarnatum with a disease severity of 31.4%, 21.1% and 19.2%. In contrast, the other Fusarium species caused slight lesions ranging from %4.7 to %7.8. According to our current knowledge; Fusarium algeriense was detected for the first time in wheat growing areas of Turkey. In addition to Fusaria, Septoriella hirta and Microdochium nivale emerged as two important species to take into consideration in monoculture wheat growing areas.
Conclusions: This study revealed that Fusarium Foot Rot is an important
disease and it should be considered for disease management in the
Osmaniye province.
Significance and Impact of the Study: In the study, This study has
contributed to the information associated with fungal flora of foot rot
disease in wheat growing areas of Turkey. Revealing the current situation
of the disease is also important for the other studies aiming at disease
management.