Fusarium

Dear Colleagues,

 Fusarium species are among the most important phytopathogenic and toxigenic fungi. The most economically-important member of Fusarium is F. oxysporum, which has a world-wide distribution and is common in a wide range of soils. F. oxysporum is extremely genetically variable, making identification by morphology difficult. It causes vascular wilt, damping-off and rot on numerous host plants. Several Fusarium species are involved in Fusarium head blight (FHB), which reduces both crop yield and the quality of cereals. FHB was first described in England and Russian Far East in 1880’s. Since then FHB has increased worldwide.  The most significant effects of Fusarium toxins on human health that have been described took place in the former Soviet Union before and during World War II. The most important mycotoxins produced by them in northern and cooler areas are trichothecenes, zearalenone , moniliformin  and enniatins , including beauvericin .

Fumonisins are considered among the important mycotoxins groups which are associated with human esophageal cancer and livestock diseases. These mycotoxins are mainly produced by F. verticillioides, which is more common in the tropical and subtropical regions and humid temperate regions Morphological description has been the basis for Fusarium taxonomy and identification of Fusarium species. There have been a lot of problems in species identification. Hence, biochemical, biological, molecular and phylogenetic methods have been applied to Fusarium to solve these problems.

Dr. Tapani Yli-Mattila
Guest Editor

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