Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>

<i>Fusarium</i> spp. can cause root rot in alfalfa, leading to the death of the whole plant, which seriously affects the yield and quality of alfalfa. This study used a <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i> strain labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to observe the infection pro...

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Main Authors: Le Wang, Jianfeng Yang, Ruifang Jia, Zhengqiang Chen, Na Wang, Jie Wu, Fangqi Chen, Yuanyuan Zhang, Kejian Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/9/2157
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author Le Wang
Jianfeng Yang
Ruifang Jia
Zhengqiang Chen
Na Wang
Jie Wu
Fangqi Chen
Yuanyuan Zhang
Kejian Lin
author_facet Le Wang
Jianfeng Yang
Ruifang Jia
Zhengqiang Chen
Na Wang
Jie Wu
Fangqi Chen
Yuanyuan Zhang
Kejian Lin
author_sort Le Wang
collection DOAJ
description <i>Fusarium</i> spp. can cause root rot in alfalfa, leading to the death of the whole plant, which seriously affects the yield and quality of alfalfa. This study used a <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i> strain labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to observe the infection process of <i>F. acuminatum</i> on alfalfa by confocal fluorescence microscopy. The aim of this study was to reveal the infection mechanism of alfalfa Fusarium root rot at the cellular histological level. The results showed that conidia of <i>F. acuminatum</i> attached to the surface of the root and germinated at one day post-inoculation, the mycelium then entered the vascular bundle tissue of the alfalfa root at 5 days post-inoculation, reached the base of the plant stem at 14 days post-inoculation, and colonized the stem of the first and second compound leaf at 28 and 49 days post-inoculation, respectively. Moreover, the experiment, which sprayed a spore suspension, showed that the conidia of <i>F. acuminatum</i> could spread through the air to infect the pericarp and seed coat tissue of the pod. For the first time, we report the infection process of alfalfa Fusarium root rot caused by <i>F. acuminatum</i> and clarify that <i>F. acuminatum</i> can initially infect the root tissue of alfalfa, colonize the bottom stem of the plant through systematic infection, and eventually cause the plant to wilt and die. The results reveal the infection mechanism of <i>F. acuminatum</i> at the cell level via histology and provide theoretical support for the development of control strategies and key control technologies for alfalfa root rot.
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spelling doaj-art-25fbc0b8049b480d845dc196f5ce78042025-08-20T01:56:09ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-09-01149215710.3390/agronomy14092157Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>Le Wang0Jianfeng Yang1Ruifang Jia2Zhengqiang Chen3Na Wang4Jie Wu5Fangqi Chen6Yuanyuan Zhang7Kejian Lin8Key Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaCollege of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring and Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Grassland Research of CAAS, Hohhot 010010, China<i>Fusarium</i> spp. can cause root rot in alfalfa, leading to the death of the whole plant, which seriously affects the yield and quality of alfalfa. This study used a <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i> strain labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to observe the infection process of <i>F. acuminatum</i> on alfalfa by confocal fluorescence microscopy. The aim of this study was to reveal the infection mechanism of alfalfa Fusarium root rot at the cellular histological level. The results showed that conidia of <i>F. acuminatum</i> attached to the surface of the root and germinated at one day post-inoculation, the mycelium then entered the vascular bundle tissue of the alfalfa root at 5 days post-inoculation, reached the base of the plant stem at 14 days post-inoculation, and colonized the stem of the first and second compound leaf at 28 and 49 days post-inoculation, respectively. Moreover, the experiment, which sprayed a spore suspension, showed that the conidia of <i>F. acuminatum</i> could spread through the air to infect the pericarp and seed coat tissue of the pod. For the first time, we report the infection process of alfalfa Fusarium root rot caused by <i>F. acuminatum</i> and clarify that <i>F. acuminatum</i> can initially infect the root tissue of alfalfa, colonize the bottom stem of the plant through systematic infection, and eventually cause the plant to wilt and die. The results reveal the infection mechanism of <i>F. acuminatum</i> at the cell level via histology and provide theoretical support for the development of control strategies and key control technologies for alfalfa root rot.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/9/2157infection processgreen fluorescent proteinalfalfa Fusarium root rot<i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
spellingShingle Le Wang
Jianfeng Yang
Ruifang Jia
Zhengqiang Chen
Na Wang
Jie Wu
Fangqi Chen
Yuanyuan Zhang
Kejian Lin
Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
Agronomy
infection process
green fluorescent protein
alfalfa Fusarium root rot
<i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
title Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
title_full Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
title_fullStr Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
title_full_unstemmed Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
title_short Infection Process of Alfalfa Root Rot Caused by <i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
title_sort infection process of alfalfa root rot caused by i fusarium acuminatum i
topic infection process
green fluorescent protein
alfalfa Fusarium root rot
<i>Fusarium acuminatum</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/9/2157
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