Jul 2026· American Journal of Plant Biology· Vol 11, pp. 33-38· 0 citations· 10 references
Abstract
Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris, is a major constraint to chickpea production worldwide, resulting in substantial yield reduction and deterioration of crop quality. The effectiveness of host resistance is often challenged by the emergence of new pathogen races, necessitating the continuous identification of resistant germplasm for breeding programs. This study was conducted to identify chickpea genotypes with resistance to Fusarium wilt and to select promising materials for further breeding. A total of 47 chickpea genotypes, along with two standard checks (Geletu and Dimtu), were evaluated under field conditions during the 2022 and 2023 main cropping seasons using an augmented experimental design. Disease incidence was recorded at both seedling and flowering stages, and genotypes were classified according to the ICRISAT disease rating scale. Considerable variation in disease response was observed among the tested genotypes. Two genotypes exhibited resistant reactions, while seventeen were categorized as moderately resistant. Overall, nineteen genotypes demonstrated desirable levels of resistance and were identified as valuable sources of resistance for future chickpea improvement programs. These genotypes can be advanced to subsequent breeding stages for the development of Fusarium wilt-resistant chickpea varieties.
Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, is a major constraint on tomato production worldwide. The present study was undertaken to evaluate thirty tomato germplasm accessions obtained from the ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi, for their response to Fusarium wilt under field conditions during the 2023 and 2024 cropping seasons at SKUAST-Jammu, Chatha. The thirty germplasm accessions were evaluated under artificial disease pressure, and disease development was assessed through disease incidence, apparent infection rate (r), and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), with Pusa Ruby included as the susceptible cultivar. Significant variation was observed among the germplasm accessions in disease development and progression. Based on pooled disease incidence, one germplasm accession was categorised as tolerant (T), two as moderately susceptible (MS), ten as susceptible (S), and seventeen as highly susceptible (HS), whereas no germplasm accession showed resistant (R) or moderately resistant (MR) reactions. The germplasm accessions also exhibited considerable differences in infection rate and AUDPC values, reflecting variability in the speed and cumulative development of Fusarium wilt. Arka Saurabh exhibited comparatively lower disease development, while highly susceptible germplasm accessions showed rapid disease progression and greater disease accumulation. The identified tolerant and less susceptible germplasm accessions can be utilised as potential sources in tomato improvement programmes for developing Fusarium wilt-resistant cultivars.
Nentia Chib, S. K. Singh, M. Thabrez et al.· Plant cell biotechnology and...· 0 citations
In the present study, genetic diversity and resistance to Fusarium wilt were evaluated in 33 chickpea genotypes along with three control varieties under wilt-sick field conditions during the rabi season of 2018–19 at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra, India. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with 2 replications and observations were recorded for ten important agronomic and yield-related traits. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits studied, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance (GA) was observed for the number of pods per plant, days to 50 % flowering and 100-seed weight, suggesting the predominance of additive gene action and the effectiveness of selection for these traits in breeding programmes. Genetic divergence analysis using Mahalanobis D² statistics grouped the genotypes into 7 distinct clusters, with the maximum inter-cluster distance observed between clusters III and VII, indicating wide genetic divergence among the genotypes in these clusters. Principal component analysis (PCA) further supported the diversity pattern and K-means clustering based on PCA explained 66.63 % of the total variation, providing better discrimination among genotypes. Based on combined performance for yield attributes and Fusarium wilt resistance, the genotypes Phule G 1022-10-6, Phule G 1115-13-6 and Phule G 171101 were identified as promising. Overall, this study highlights the effectiveness of multivariate statistical approaches for identifying genetically diverse and disease-resistant chickpea genotypes for use in strategic breeding programs aimed at improving yields and resistance to Fusarium wilt.
P. Prasenjit, K. Dilip, K. Suraj et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium udum Butler, is a major biotic constraint limiting pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Huth) productivity in tropical and subtropical regions. Wilt incidence varied widely among 143 pigeonpea genotypes, ranging from 0.40 to 15.60 % at 30 days after sowing and escalating to 2.00 to 78.00 % at 75 DAS. Area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) values ranged from 57.9 to 2258.1, indicating diverse disease progression. Based on the percent disease index (PDI), relative AUDPC (rAUDPC) and r-values, genotypes were categorised as resistant (38.5 %), moderately resistant (37.8 %), susceptible (11.9 %) and highly susceptible (11.9 %). Notable resistant genotypes included Pusa Arhar 21-60, ICP 8863 and NAM 88. In vitro evaluation of seven plant extracts at 10, 15 and 20 ppm using the poisoned food technique revealed significant variation in antifungal activity. Thuja occidentalis L., Cannabis sativa L. and Mentha spicata L. consistently exhibited the highest inhibition in a dose-dependent manner, whereas Chenopodium album L. was least effective. Integration of resistant genotypes with potent botanical extracts offers an eco-friendly strategy for sustainable management of Fusarium wilt in pigeonpea.
K. Jyoti, K. Birendra, B. Rinku et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum and poses a major threat to U.S. small-grain production by reducing yield and contaminating grain with harmful mycotoxins. Developing and deploying host resistance is crucial for sustainable disease management. In this study, 32 spring barley genotypes sourced from three U.S. barley breeding programs were evaluated for FHB resistance using a South Dakota F. graminearum isolate (Fg1) in field trials conducted in South Dakota over three years (2022 - 2024). Mixed-model analysis indicated that genotype effects were not significant for disease severity but were highly significant for Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation, demonstrating substantial genetic variation in grain infection and toxin contamination among the evaluated genotypes. Across years, disease severity ranged from 28.12% to 70.00%. Genotypes S2M190 (39.38%), MT17M02507 (42.87%), S2M196 (46.62%), and S2M197 (46.88%) exhibited comparatively lower disease severity across seasons. In addition, S2M190 (32.50% FDK, 0.68 ppm DON) and MT17M02507 (31.25% FDK, 0.70 ppm DON) consistently showed reduced kernel damage and toxin accumulation, indicating improved tolerance to FHB infection. In contrast, Robust (66.25%) and Tradition (58.75%) exhibited higher kernel damage and DON levels. A strong positive relationship between FDK and DON further highlighted the importance of grain quality in assessing the impact of FHB infection. These results demonstrate that evaluating multiple disease-related traits is essential for identifying barley genotypes with improved tolerance to FHB and reduced mycotoxin contamination.
Tapish Pawar, T. Fathima, Joseph Tilstra et al.· Plant Disease· 0 citations
Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a destructive disease severely restricting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) productivity in tropical and subtropical regions. The purpose of this study was to identify novel sources of resistance and explicate the inheritance pattern of bacterial wilt resistance in tomato. A total of 59 genotypes, including open-pollinated lines, hybrids and breeding accessions, were subjected to screening experiments during two consecutive seasons (2022–2023 and 2023–2024) under controlled net house conditions at Centurion University of Technology and Management and natural epiphytotic field conditions at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research - Central Horticultural Experiment Station , Bhubaneswar, India. Disease severity was evaluated using percent disease index (PDI) and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC). The open-pollinated cultivar ‘Utkal Kumari (BT-10)’ exhibited consistent high resistance, with significantly lower AUDPC values (<150 vs >1800 in susceptible checks) and high survival rates (90 %) across environments. Among others, tomato cultivars Arka Samrat, Arka Abhed and JK Desi, demonstrated significant resistance while genotypes such as Pusa Ruby and EW815 were consistently highly susceptible. A segregating F₂ population derived from a cross between resistant ‘BT-10’ and susceptible ‘Pusa Ruby’ exhibited continuous variation in disease response. Chi-square analysis revealed significant deviation from a 3:1 Mendelian segregation ratio (χ² = 72.30, P < 0.01), indicating a quantitative mode of inheritance. These findings highlight the potential of Utkal Kumari and allied resistant lines as donors for resistance breeding and emphasize the need to integrate robust phenotypic screening with molecular approaches for durable and strategic bacterial wilt management in tomato.
D. Debasmita, D. Sunanya, N. P. Bhagbat et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, also known as yardlong bean) is an important winter horticultural crop in Hainan, and Fusarium wilt seriously threatens its yield and quality. To clarify the pathogen and screen antagonistic bacteria, surveys were conducted in 14 fields across Hainan’s major cowpea-growing areas. The causal agent was isolated, tested for pathogenicity, and identified using morphological and multigene molecular methods. Meanwhile, rhizosphere and endophytic bacteria from healthy plants were screened by dual culture, and candidate strains were phylogenetically analyzed using whole-genome sequencing (285 orthologous single-copy genes). Fusarium wilt occurred in all 14 fields (mean incidence 15.35%, range 3.20–76.40%). Of 44 fungal isolates, six were highly pathogenic and identified as Fusarium oxysporum. Twenty-two bacterial strains showed stable antagonism against F. oxysporum, with inhibition rates ranging from 42.62% to 68.47%. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole-genome sequences identified 15 Bacillus strains to the species level (12 B. velezensis, 2 B. subtilis, 1 B. tropicus), while the remaining seven strains belonged to Lysinibacillus (1), Pantoea (1), Klebsiella (1), Serratia (2), and Pseudomonas (2). Draft genome sequences of all 22 strains were obtained. This study provides a collection of biocontrol bacterial resources and genomic information for managing cowpea Fusarium wilt.
Bao Wang, Da Guan, Wanrong Yan et al.· Horticulturae· 0 citations