Aug 2026· Vegetable crops of Russia· pp. 120-132· 0 citations· 18 references
TL;DR
Integration of knowledge about the biological characteristics of the pathogen into the experimental methodology allowed improving the elements of the artificial infection protocol and made it possible to significantly reduce screening time and increase the reliability of evaluating pepper resistance to fusarium wilt, which is important for accelerating the breeding process.
Abstract
Relevance. Improving the efficiency of the pepper breeding process for resistance to fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium verticillioides , requires studying the biological characteristics of the pathogen and the conditions for pathogenesis development according to the concept of the classical disease triangle. Taking these relationships into account is essential for developing reproducible and informative methods for evaluating breeding material. Purpose. To study the effect of temperature regime and nutrient medium composition on the vegetative growth of F. verticillioides , as well as to optimize key elements of the artificial inoculation protocol for accelerated evaluation of resistance in pepper breeding lines. Materials and methods. The study examined three F. verticillioides isolates with contrasting aggressiveness. The radial growth rate was assessed in vitro on PDA, OA, Czapek, and SNA media in the temperature range of 10-40 °C. Pathogenicity was tested in vivo on seedlings of five pepper lines at 25, 28, and 30°C. Additionally, two inoculation methods were compared: with mechanical stirring (orbital shaker, 100 rpm) and under static conditions. Results. Within the F. verticillioide s population, contrasting classes of pathogenicity were identified: highly aggressive (HA, 46%), moderately aggressive (MA, 27%), and weakly aggressive (WA, 27%). A direct correlation was established between the radial growth rate (VR) and aggressiveness: HA isolates grew 1,7-1,9 times faster than WA isolates (VR 13,0 vs. 7,6 mm/day). The temperature optimum for the growth of the highly aggressive isolate in vitro (VR 12,8 mm/day) and pathogenesis in vivo (I=3,4 points) coincided and was 28 °C. However, at 30°C, despite maintaining high growth in vitro (VR 10,3-11,8 mm/day), pathogenesis in vivo significantly decreased to 1,9 points. Two-way ANOVA showed that on day 7, the inoculation method (with shaker) accounted for 31,6% of the variance, while by day 14, the genotype dominated (40,6%). The use of an orbital shaker allowed accelerating pathogenesis and symptom manifestation, reducing the period of reliable evaluation from 14 to 7 days, which provided the opportunity for accelerated screening.Conclusion. Integration of knowledge about the biological characteristics of the pathogen into the experimental methodology allowed improving the elements of the artificial infection protocol. The use of these elements made it possible to significantly reduce screening time and increase the reliability of evaluating pepper resistance to fusarium wilt, which is important for accelerating the breeding process.
The control of Verticillium wilt, caused by the soilborne fungi Verticillium dahliae, is one of the major challenges of current olive growing. The lack of effective chemical products against this disease, among other factors inherent in the biology of the pathogen, makes its control difficult, with the search for integrated management alternatives being necessary. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 25 beneficial microorganisms (biological control agents; BCAs), 20 fungi and 5 bacteria isolated from different plants, on mycelial growth of V. dahliae (isolates V-180 and V-323) and on the microsclerotia viability of the pathogen in two naturally infested soils. Likewise, the efficacy of the BCAs on the progression of Verticillium wilt in olive plants of cv. Picual was evaluated under controlled conditions. Finally, the effect of a selection of the most effective BCAs was validated under field conditions along two experimental years. Among the 25 BCAs evaluated, Fusarium proliferatum PV-353 and PV-339, and F. oxysporum PV-1030 inhibited V. dahliae mycelial growth by more than 50%, regardless of the isolate of the pathogen. However, only F. proliferatum PV-353 and F. oxysporum PV-1030 significantly reduced microsclerotia viability by more than 50% in naturally infested soils. Aureobasidium pullulans PV-380, F. proliferatum PV-339 and PV-353, Trichoderma asperellum PV-346, and Bacillus velezensis PV-700 significantly reduced the severity and the progression of the disease in planta. Field trials confirmed A. pullulans PV-1033, B. velezensis PV-700, and T. citrinoviride PV-1041 as the most effective BCAs. Natural products were included in the field as reference compounds (e.g. willow and seaweed extracts), and their efficacy against the disease was also confirmed. This study highlights the difficulty of identifying consistently effective BCAs, and their variability depending on the V. dahliae isolates.
Ola Muhammed-Ahmed, Ana López‐Moral, María Carmen Saigner et al.· Plant Disease· 0 citations
The results show that the formulated consortium offers an innovative, stable, high quality, and environmentally friendly substitute to chemical fungicides for use in Integrated Disease Management (IDM) programs.
Thulfiqear A. Jabbar, A. Al-Abedy, Abdulzahra J. Ali· Brazilian Journal of Microbi...· 0 citations
Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis, is an important constraint to lentil production. This study evaluated the cultural requirements of the pathogen and the efficacy of selected chemical, botanical and biological treatments under laboratory, net-house and field conditions at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The pathogen was isolated from wilt-affected lentil plants and maintained on potato dextrose agar. Pathogenicity was confirmed on the susceptible cultivar PDL-1 by fulfilling Koch’s postulates. Mycelial growth and sporulation were assessed on different media and across temperature and pH regimes. Treatment efficacy was evaluated in vitro and under field conditions using germination, disease incidence, disease control and yield as response variables. Oatmeal agar supported the greatest colony diameter (89.57 mm) and excellent sporulation. Maximum growth at the tested temperatures occurred at 30°C (91.00 mm), while pH 6.0 supported the greatest growth among the evaluated pH levels. Carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 13% produced the highest in vitro mycelial inhibition (79.116%). Under field conditions, this treatment also recorded the highest germination (97.98%), the lowest disease incidence (14.25%), the greatest disease control over the control (43.98%) and the highest yield (11.503 q/ha). Metalaxyl and the other tested treatments also reduced wilt incidence relative to the untreated control. These findings support an integrated approach combining effective chemical and biological options for managing lentil wilt under comparable agro-climatic conditions.
Prashant Bindua, J. K. Babele, Saurabh Singh et al.· Journal of Experimental Agri...· 0 citations
Climatic and nutritional factors significantly influence the behavior of pathogenic agents by limiting their growth and mycotoxin production. Understanding these factors aids in predicting and managing mycotoxigenic risks. In this context, this study was conducted to characterize the ecophysiological profile of the most virulent
Fusarium
isolates identified in the region, including 6
F. clavum,
2
F. avenaceum
, 5
F. acuminatum
, 2
F. culmorum,
1
F. tricinctum,
1
F. microconidium
, and 1
F. solani
, using an
in vitro
one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach. The results indicated that nutritional requirements, including culture media, carbon and nitrogen sources, and the C:N ratio, pH, salinity, temperature, and relative humidity, were the primary factors influencing mycelial growth. The current study found that the most effective conditions for enhancing the growth of the examined isolates were Czapek Dox Agar medium at 25 °C, 95% relative humidity, pH 7, and a salinity of 2.5 g. L⁻
1
, or by using cellulose as the carbon source, peptone as the nitrogen source, and a C:N ratio of 10:1. Significant diversity was observed among the isolates and
Fusarium
species; different strains of the same species responded differently to climatic and trophic factors, while different species showed similar responses. These parameters effectively grouped the isolates into two clusters using hierarchical clustering.
Imane Belabed, Amor Bencheikh, Rouag Noureddine et al.· European journal of plant pa...· 0 citations
Relevance.
The cultivation of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), as one of the economically significant crops, is associated with substantial difficulties. In this regard, breeding work aimed at developing new genotypes with high adaptive and reproductive potential, capable of ensuring stable productivity and forming seeds with high varietal and sowing qualities under the influence of adverse abiotic factors, is of paramount importance.
Methods.
The studies were conducted between 2023 and 2025 at the All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Vegetable and Melon Growing. The objects of the study were breeding lines of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). A comprehensive assessment of the material was performed, including the analysis of morphological characteristics of plants and fruits, yield indicators, biochemical composition, organoleptic evaluation, and calculation of the adaptability coefficient.
Results.
During the study, promising lines of sweet pepper were obtained and selected. The identified breeding lines significantly exceeded the standard variety in terms of morphological characteristics and key yield structure parameters. Five samples were selected with a yield of 36.7–50.1 t/ha, which surpasses the standard by 6.1–44.8%. These lines are characterized by attractive, elongated-conical fruits and serve as genetic donors for high and stable yields, as well as uniform fruit setting and ripening. The adaptability coefficient of the studied samples approached unity, indicating the high adaptability of the new lines. This confirms their high yield potential and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors typical of the Astrakhan region.
O. Kigashpaeva, A. V. Gulin, L. Lavrova et al.· Agrarian science· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Bacillus cabrialesii, a plant growth-promoting (PGP) and biocontrol bacterium, was first reported in Mexico in 2018. This study evaluates the PGP and antagonistic potential of two B. cabrialesii strains, IS-10 and BATS-13, isolated from the chickpea rhizospheric soils of Chhattisgarh, India. It also assesses the impact of strain IS-10 on the growth, yield, and disease resistance of chickpea cultivars under Fusarium wilt stress.
METHODS
PGP traits and antifungal activity of the isolates were characterized in vitro, including biosurfactant production. The biosurfactant nature was analyzed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Strain IS-10 was used for seed bacterization in sterile soil amended with 0.2% vermicompost and 0.02% gum acacia, in the presence or absence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (FOC), to evaluate its effects on plant growth and disease suppression in two chickpea cultivars, Vaibhav and JG-62.
RESULTS
Both strains demonstrated multiple PGP attributes and inhibited FOC growth in vitro. TLC revealed the presence of lipids and peptides in the crude biosurfactant, and further UPLC-MS/MS analyses confirmed the presence of surfactin and fengycin. In the pot trials, strain IS-10 treatment significantly improved plant performance. In pathogen-free conditions, strain IS-10 increased straw yield by 39.17% (Vaibhav) and 39.47% (JG-62), and grain yield by 46.8% (Vaibhav) and 50.32% (JG-62), respectively, over untreated controls. Under FOC challenge conditions, strain IS-10 reduced disease incidence by 20.80% (Vaibhav) and 26.85% (JG-62), while enhancing straw yield by 53.92% and 36.6%, and grain yield by 57.14% and 50.81%, respectively, compared to pathogen controls.
CONCLUSIONS
B. cabrialesii IS-10 possesses significant PGP and biocontrol traits, including production of antifungal lipopeptides. Its application enhances chickpea growth and yield and mitigates the effects of Fusarium wilt, highlighting its potential as a bioinoculant for sustainable chickpea cultivation under both healthy and pathogen-infested conditions in the state of Chhattisgarh, India.
Prajwal S K, S. Sharma, Narayan Sahu et al.· BMC Microbiology· 0 citations
