Fusarium proliferatum, a new pathogen causing head blight on oat in Argentina

STENGLEIN S.A.; DINOLFO M.I.; MORENO M.V.; GALIZIO R.; SALERNO G.L.

PLANT DISEASE

AMER PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOC

Año: 2010 vol. 94 p. 783 - 783

0191-2917

In December 2008, a supervision of the health status of oat seeds from Trenque Lauquen, Buenos Aires, Argentina was conducted. Four-hundred seeds were used and eight isolates morphologically similar to Fusarium species were observed 6 days after the incubation. Two isolates produced abundant white aerial mycelium and violet to dark (with the age) pigments in the PDA. On CLA, macroconidia were abundant, slender, almost straight, thin-walled, usually 3-5 septate. Microconidia were abundant, usually single-celled or club-shaped in chains (less commonly in false heads) on monophialides and polyphialides. Chlamydospores were absent. The fungus was identified as Fusarium proliferatum on the basis of fungal morphology. To confirm the diagnosis, a PCR reaction with specific primers was made. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. proliferatum on oat in Argentina.