Root Rot of Moth Orchid Caused by Fusarium spp.

Kim, Wan Gyu; Lee, Byung Dae; Kim, Woo Sik; Cho, Weon Dae

doi:2002.18.4.225

Plant Pathol J > Volume 18(4); 2002 > Article

The Plant Pathology Journal 2002;18(4):225-227.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5423/PPJ.2002.18.4.225 Published online August 31, 2002.

Root Rot of Moth Orchid Caused by Fusarium spp.

Wan Gyu Kim, Byung Dae Lee, Woo Sik Kim, Weon Dae Cho

Abstract

Moth orchid plants with yellowing blight and root rot symptoms were collected, and a total of 54 isolates of Fusarium spp. was obtained from roots and leaf bases of the diseased plants. The isolates were identified based on their morphological characteristics. Out of the 54 isolates of Fusarium spp., 42 isolates were identified as F. solani, 5 isolates as F. oxysporum, and 7 as F. proliferatum. Isolates of the three Fusarium spp. were tested for pathogenicity to moth orchid plants by artificial inoculation. All the Fusarium spp. induced root rot of the host plants. The symptoms progressed up to the basal part of the leaves, which later caused yellowing blight. The symptoms induced on the plants by artificial inoculation with the Fusarium spp. isolates were similar to those observed in greenhouses. The present study reveals that F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, and F. solani cause root rot of moth orchid, and that F. solani is the main pathogen of the disease.

Key Words: Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium solani, moth orchid, Phalaenopsis spp., root rot