Biodiversity, molecular identification, and pathogenicity of fusarium species isolated from wheat in western Algeria

Wheat is one of the major important cereal crops in the world. In agriculture, fungal diseases pose significant constraints on wheat production. Fusarium is a major pathogenic and toxic fungus that widely affects wheat. This study aimed to identify and characterize Fusarium species, with a particular interest in detecting toxigenic strains. Thirty-one samples of wheat plants showing typical symptoms were collected from 7 different regions in western Algeria in 2021. Fusarium species were found in 63% of the samples. On the basis of their morphological characteristics, 53 strains of Fusarium were isolated and preserved. Eleven Fusarium species were identified on the basis of phylogenic analyses with the translation factor TEF-1α. Among these Fusarium isolates, 6 were identified as F. pseudograminearum, 2 as F. acuminatum, 2 as F. algeriens, and 01 as F. oxysporum. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that all eight Fusarium species tested (F. psedograminearum, F. algeriens, and F. acuminatum) could cause typical symptoms of FCR in wheat in these provinces. F. algeriens is the most aggressive pathogenic species, and it is the second most common isolate of this pathogen in Algeria.