Plant-Pathogenic Fusarium Species

Fusarium species are ubiquitous fungi, both saprotrophic and pathogenic to plants, animals and humans. They are also potent mycotoxin producers which makes them one of the most devastating plant pathogens. Mycotoxin biosynthesis and regulation has recently become one of the mainstream research topics, since knowledge concerning individual metabolic pathways became available and modern 'omics' techniques allowed us to expand this even further. Independently, high-throughput sequencing methodology helped researchers gain insight into the complex phylogenetic relationships among closely related genotypes comprising Fusarium populations, species and species complexes. Molecular tools have so far been very powerful in species identification and phylogeny, as the great diversity of the Fusarium genus has forced scientists to continuously revise previously described taxons.

Automated summary

Fusarium species are widespread fungi with both saprotrophic and pathogenic properties. They are also known for their ability to produce mycotoxins, which makes them highly damaging to plants. Molecular tools have been valuable in species identification and phylogeny studies of the Fusarium genus.