Identification of <i>Fusarium verticillioides</i> Isolates and Their Impact on Seed Germination and Biochemical Profiles in Maize

<i>Fusarium verticillioides</i> is a common fungal pathogen of maize that causes significant losses in seed quality and seedling performance. Despite the high prevalence of this fungus in Ghanaian maize varieties, there is relatively little knowledge of the impact of <i>F. verticillioides</i> on seedling performance of Ghanaian maize varieties. The aim of this study was to isolate <i>F. verticillioides</i> isolates in the Bihilifa maize variety and to evaluate the effects of these isolates on germination- and biochemical-linked traits. Six fungal cultures were isolated from the maize seeds. Based on phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis using translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1-α) gene, three isolates were identified as <i>F. verticillioides</i>: Fv-B12024, Fv-B22024, and Fv-B32024, and were used in the germination and biochemical assay. All three isolates significantly reduced the germination-linked traits: germination percent (GP), root length (RL), shoot length (SL), seedling vigor (SV), and whole seedling length (WSL). These changes resulted in increased carotenoid, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the roots and shoots of the inoculated seedlings. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a clear separation between the control and the inoculated seedlings, with the biochemical traits showing a strong association with isolate Fv-B12024. Additionally, the shoot traits were less responsive to the fungus effects and exhibited low discriminatory power compared to the root biochemical traits. Overall, these findings demonstrated that <i>F. verticillioides</i> infection shifted Bihilifa maize seedlings from a high-vigor physiological state toward a stress-dominated biochemical state.