Identification and  characterization of a novel Iraqi isolate of Fusarium pseudograminearum causing  crown rot in wheat.
Crown  rot is one of the main important fungal diseases affecting wheat in many areas  of the world, including Australia, USA, and Iran. Until now, there had been no  report of this pathogen in Iraq. Plants displaying crown rot symptoms were  observed in Shaat Alarab (Basra, Iraq); we investigated the causal agent of the  disease. Samples were surface-sterilized in bleach (1% available chlorine) and  cultured on quarter-strength potato dextrose agar plates. DNA was extracted  from fungal mycelia, using a modified CTAB protocol. The ITS/5.8S regions were  amplified using primer pair ITS1 and ITS4. PCR products purified using a gel  extraction kit were sequenced. The sequence that was detected was used to BLAST  against NCBI data. The most similar sequence was the ITS/5.8S rDNA region of Fusarium  pseudograminearum (strain NRRL28062), showing 97.95% identity. This species  normally causes crown rot, resulting in severe damage under dry spring  conditions. A pathogenicity test employed to assess the disease-causing ability  of the strain showed significant disease symptoms up to 57% infected spikelets.  The results confirmed the presence of F. pseudograminearum as a causal  agent of wheat crown rot in Iraq. The presence of this pathogen demands further  investigations to develop resistant cultivars and/or mechanical control.
Date Palm Research Center, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq.
M A
MA
Hameed
R M
RM
Rana
Z
Z
Ali
D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005670:Fusarium / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014908:Triticum / Q000382:microbiology*
D004271:DNA, Fungal