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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403108
Research Project: Advancing Knowledge of the Biology and Etiology of Bacterial Plant Pathogens Towards Management Strategies

Location: Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research

Title: First report of garlic bulb soft rot caused by Fusarium foetens in Hebei Province of China

Author
item ZHANG, Y.N. - Chinese Agricultural University
item WANG, J.Z. - Huaiyin Normal University
item Swingle, Bryan
item WEI, H.L. - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item MA, X. - Cornell University
item GAO, M. - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/14/2022
Publication Date: 2/5/2023
Citation: Zhang, Y., Wang, J., Swingle, B.M., Wei, H., Ma, X., Gao, M. 2023. First report of garlic bulb soft rot caused by Fusarium foetens in Hebei Province of China. Plant Disease. 107:949. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-05-22-1024-PDN.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-05-22-1024-PDN

Interpretive Summary: This study describes the identification of a fungus, Fusarium foetens, as the cause of bulb rot in garlic plants in China. Symptoms of the disease included stunted growth, apical wilting, and soft, water-soaked lesions on the bulbs. The fungus was isolated from the diseased garlic plants and identified using DNA sequencing and morphological characteristics. The fungus was inoculated into healthy garlic plants and found to cause similar disease symptoms. Reisolation of the fungus demonstrated that the fungus was indeed the causal agent of the disease. This is the first report of F. foetens causing bulb rot on garlic in the seedling stage in China, which is important information for future disease prevention and control efforts.

Technical Abstract: This study reports the identification of Fusarium foetens as the causal agent of bulb rot disease on garlic in Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province of China. The study describes the symptoms, isolation, and morphological characteristics of the pathogen, as well as its identification using rDNA-ITS and EF-1a gene sequencing. Koch's postulates were completed to confirm the pathogen was responsible for the observed disease symptoms. This is the first report of F. foetens causing bulb rot on garlic in China, and the identification of the pathogen is important for prevention and control of the disease in the future. The study provides valuable information for researchers and practitioners interested in the management of bulb rot disease in garlic.