Caracterização de isolados de Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae das regiões sul e sudeste do Brasil e identificação de acessos resistentes de alface

Abstract

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae (FOLac), is an important disease of lettuce in the world. This disease was reported in Brazil, recently. From 2008 to 2011 the laboratories of Plant Pathology of Embrapa Hortaliças (Embrapa Vegetable Crops), Sakata Seeds Sudamerica and Instituto Capixaba de Pesquisa, Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural (INCAPER) collected some FOLac isolates in states from the Southern and the Southeastern regions of Brazil. The isolates were identified as F. oxysporum by the morphological characteristics of conidia and conidiophores. Isolates were inoculated on lettuce plants, cultivars Elisa, Vera, and Red Salad Bowl, conditions in a greenhouse. Isolates were also inoculated on plants of others Asteraceae species (Cichorium endivia, Cichorium intybus, Sonchus oleraceus, Emilia sonchifolia, Bidens pilosa e Tagetes erecta) and others botanical families as (Solanum lycopersicum, Capsicum annuum, Nicotiana tabacum, Gossypium hirsutum, Phaseolus vulgaris e Ocimum basilicum). Lettuce cultivars Elisa and Vera were suscetible to all isolates while the cultivar Red Salad Bowl was resistant. All isolates were reisolated from diseased plants fulfilling the Koch‟s postulates. Others plant species were not susceptible to any isolate, proving that isolates belong to the species F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae. The isolates were also inoculated in a differential set of cultivars comprising: „Patriot‟ (Susceptible to all races), „Costa Rica No. 4‟ (resistant to race 1) and „Banchu Red Fire‟ (resistant to race 2). Cultivars „Patriot‟ and „Banchu Red Fire‟ were susceptible while „Costa Rica No. 4‟ was resistant, confirming that all the isolates were race 1. Molecular analysis using a primer specific to race 1 isolates was performed using F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) raça 3 and a non-pathogenic isolate as negative controls. DNAs of FOLac isolates were amplified by PCR and those of the negative controls were not, confirming the specificity of the primers and the presence of only the race 1 of FOLac in Brazil. In addition, it was used the Translation elongation factor 1-α region (tef-1α) for phylogenetic analysis between FOLac isolates races 1 and 2 and isolates of F. oxysporum. Comparison of the sequences obtained with the tef-1α confirmed the polyphyletic origin of the forma specialis lactucae and also showed a greater genetic variability among Brazilian isolates of FOLac race 1compared with isolates of the same race available in GenBank. After the isolates characterization, it was made a screening of 102 accessions for resistance to the isolate Fus-173 and it was selected 47 as highly resistant. After this, the selected genotypes were evaluated for the stability of resistance in three additional assays, using different FOLac race 1 isolates. In all three assays it was used a highly susceptible cultivar (Regina) as susceptible control. In the first assay, carried out in October 2011, it were used the isolates Fus-202 and Fus-205. In the second assay, carried out in November 2011, it were used the isolates Fus-219 and Fus-222. In the third assay, carried out in December 2011, it were used the isolates (Fus-207, Fus-209 e Fus-220). Inoculation was performed on 25 days old seedlings on greenhouse conditions. Seedlings were inoculated by cutting their roots and emerging them in spore suspension of pathogen. Evaluation was carries out 30 days after inoculation, using a grade scale varying from 0 (heath plants) to 4 (dead plants). Data were transformed in Disease Index (DI) submitted to a variance analysis and the media were compared by the Tukey‟s test (5%). Thirty two accessions were identified as having broad spectrum of resistance to different pathogen isolates in the four inoculation seasons.