Fusarium spp.: Pathogens of calendula seed (Calendula officinalis L.) in Serbia

Abstract

During 2013, 14 samples of infected seed grown calendula were collected from two commercially grown crops in the localities in Pančevo and Plandište and analyzed for the presence of plant pathogenic fungi. In all samples of seeds, weaker germination and a significant seed infection ranging from 2-8%, with phytopathogenic fungi of the genus Fusarium, was found. From the infected calendula seed, monosporial cultures, based on morphology, were identified as Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium cf. incarnatum, and their pathogenicity proved on artificially inoculated calendula seedlings. Molecular detection was performed by PCR and amplification of the TEF-1α protein gene. Further studies will include molecular identification of this isolate to the species level, a definitive taxonomic determination of the Serbian isolate and a comparison with other isolates and species of Fusarium genus infecting calendula worldwide.

Tokom 2013. godine, na dva lokaliteta komercijalne proizvodnje nevena u Pančevu i Plandištu, prikupljeno je 14 uzoraka zaraženog semena gajenog nevena i analizirano na prisustvo fitopatogenih gljiva. U svim uzorcima semena, ustanovljena je slabija klijavost i značajan stepen zaraze fitopatogenim gljivama iz roda Fusarium, 2-8%. Iz zaraženog semena izolovane su monosporijalne kulture, čija je patogenost potvrđena pojavom simptoma na veštački inokulisanim klijancima nevena, a na osnovu morfoloških svojstava identifikovane su kao Fusarium verticillioides i Fusarium cf. incarnatum. Molekularna detekcija obavljena je primenom PCR i amplifikacije proteinskog gena TEF-1α. Dalja istraživanja obuhvatiće primenu molekularne identifikacije, do nivoa vrste uz određivanje tačnog taksonomskog mesta izolata iz Srbije patogenih za neven poređenjem sa drugim izolatima i vrstama roda Fusarium spp. u svetu.