Genetic analysis of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum from tomato plants

Forty-three Fusarium oxysporum strains and one Fusarium solani strain were analyzed for genetic diversity. These strains represent a wide range of geographic locations and were collected primarily from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) roots. Among all 43 F. oxysporum strains, 21 were not pathogenic to tomato, 20 were pathogenic, including 13 strains of Fusarium oxysporum lycopersici and seven strains of Fusarium oxysporum radicis-lycopersici, and two were other formae speciales of the fungus. Genetic diversity of all 43 strains was assessed by vegetative compatibility group (VCG), sequence analysis of the rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S rRNA gene, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Most of the F. o. lycopersici strains were assigned to VCG 0030, while most nonpathogenic ones were incompatible with each other. ITS region analysis grouped the strains into four clusters. The nonpathogenic F. oxysporum strains were in two groups, while the pathogenic strains were placed in two different groups. Pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains were also separated into different clusters based on AFLP data, although some nonpathogenic strains grouped with pathogenic strains. The population of pathogenic strains was less diverse than that of the nonpathogenic strains, suggesting that the pathogenic strains were possibly of monophyletic origin. For both pathogenic and nonpathogenic F. oxysporum strains, no relationship was observed between the genetic profiles and geographic origin; this may indicate that pathogens did not originate independently at each locality.