Root Rot of <i>Cinnamomum camphora</i> (Linn) Presl Caused by <i>Fusarium solani</i> in China

ABSTRACT Cinnamomum camphora root rot was detected in Ji'an County, Jiangxi Province from 2023 to 2024. To identify the pathogen, root samples from diseased trees were collected. Tissue isolation method was employed to isolate and purify the pathogens causing camphor tree root rot. Fusarium solani was identified as the causative agent through morphological characterisation and multigene phylogenetic analysis (using ITS, EF‐1α and RPB2 ), further confirmed by in vitro artificial inoculation. F. solani led to leaf chlorosis and root browning on C. camphora seedings in pots, consistent with symptoms observed in the field. This study is the first to report F. solani as the cause of root rot on C. camphora , underscoring how this pathogen causes substantial losses to economically valuable trees due to the absence of prevention and mitigation strategies.