@conference{
author = "Ignjatov, Maja and Milošević, Dragana and Aćimović, Milica and Medic-Pap, Sladjana and Ivanović, Žarko",
year = "2022-06",
abstract = "Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) is a perennial polymorphous plant species with essential oil
mainly accumulated in the flowers and leaves. It is grown in Serbia for the needs of
pharmaceutical companies and tea production, because of its quality and chemical
composition. During a routine quality control of hyssop seeds collected from Rumenka
(Vojvodina Province), in 2018, fungal infection followed by seed rot was noticed on an
average of 22%. Infected seeds were covered with white mycelium followed with violet
pigmentation occurring under the seeds. The presence of Fusarium spp. was confirmed with
microscopic observation. Isolation was done aseptically by arranging infected seeds onto
surface of potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25 °C with a 12-h photoperiod
(Mathur and Kongsdall, 2003). After seven days, 12 Fusarium spp. isolates were designated
as JBL 4003/1 - 4003/12. Pathogenicity test was performed in vitro using a modified agar
slant method in the test tube with PDA amended. After 10 days, fungal mycelia of tested
isolates caused seed rot and seedling decay, like naturally infected hyssop seeds. All isolates
were re-isolated and sub-cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Carnation Leaf Agar
(CLA) using a hyphal tip transfer technique, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Isolate JBL 4003/1
was distinguished based on pathogenicity and cultural characteristics. It caused seed rot after
four days, on PDA colony was fast growing reaching 6-8 cm in diam. in five days, forming
abundant, whitish to peach aerial mycelium followed with beige to light brown pigmentation
in agar. Isolate formed relatively long and narrow macroconidia (24 to 54 × 3.2 to 4.5 μm)
with a tapered and elongated apical cell and prominent foot-shaped basal cell, with four to six
septate, with no microconidia. Chlamydospores were solitary and intercalary. Based cultural
and morphological characteristics indicated that the isolate belong to species Fusarium
equiseti Corda (Saccardo). To obtain a DNA sequence-based identification, total DNA was
extracted directly from the mycelium. Following DNA extraction, the translation elongation
factor 1-alpha region was amplified by PCR using the primer pair EF1 and EF2. The
amplified and purified DNA fragment of chosen isolate JBL4003/1 was sequenced in both
directions and deposited in the GeneBank under Accession Number MK061540.1. BLAST
analysis revealed that the Serbian isolate MK061540 showed the highest nucleotide identity
of 100% with F. equiseti isolates from United States (MG826890), Canada (KU587617),
Turkey (KT286761), and Serbia (JQ412101). Based on morphological and pathogenic
properties, as well as the sequence analysis, to our knowledge, this is the first case of F.
equiseti Corda (Saccardo) as the causal agent of Hyssopus officinalis (L.) seed rot in Serbia.
Considering the importance of H. Officinalis in pharmaceutical industries, knowledge of the
composition of populations of Fusarium species transmitted by hyssop.",
publisher = "Matica srpska",
journal = "Knjiga rezimea, 7. međunarodni naučni skup "Mikologija, mikotoksikologija i mikoze", Novi Sad, 2-3. jun 2022",
title = "Occurence of Fusarium equiseti Corda (Saccardo) as causal agent of seed rot of Hyssopus officinalis L.",
pages = "67-67"
}
