Journal of General Plant Pathology (2012) 78, 160-169

Sahar Shahnazi, Sariah Meon, Ganesan Vadamalai, Khairulmazmi Ahmad and Naghmeh Nejat (2012)
Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium spp. associated with yellowing disease of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) in Malaysia
Journal of General Plant Pathology 78 (3), 160-169
Abstract: Yellowing disease is one of the most important diseases of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.). To characterize the pathogen(s) responsible for yellowing disease of black pepper in Malaysia, 53 isolates of Fusarium were collected from the roots of diseased black pepper plants and from rhizosphere soils from major growing areas in Sarawak and Johor. A total of 34 isolates of F. solani and 19 isolates of F. proliferatum were obtained and identified based on morphological characteristics and molecular techniques. DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and 5.8S ribosomal DNA regions was conducted to identify Fusarium species. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the ITS regions revealed that this molecular technique enabled identification of Fusarium at the species level as F. solani and F. proliferatum. In a pathogenicity test on 3-month-old black pepper plants, F. solani was pathogenic, but F. proliferatum was not. On the basis of morphology, DNA sequences and pathogenicity of the fungal isolates from the diseased plants, we showed that yellowing disease on black pepper is caused by F. solani.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Naghmeh Nejat

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Neocosmospora solani	Green pepper/chilli (Capsicum)	Malaysia