ISOLATION OF FUSARIUM SPECIES FROM COMMON BROAD-LEAVED WEEDS AND THEIR PATHOGENICITY TO WINTER-WHEAT

Isolations were made from the stem-bases of 1346 plants representing 15 weed species collected from three sites of fallow land; one following a crop of potatoes and two following wheat crops. Two hundred and twenty-six Fusarium isolates were obtained from 14 of the 15 weed species of which 114 (50.4%) were F. avenaceum, 88 (38.9%) were F. culmorum, 16 (7.1%) were F. poae, 6 (2.5%) were F. sambucinum and 3 (1.3%) were F. graminearum, No obvious symptom of Fusarium infection was observed on any of the plants sampled. Seventy-five of 77 Fusarium isolates (33 F. avenaceum, 27 F. culmorum, 9 F. poae, 5 F. sambucinum and 3. F. graminearum) obtained from weeds were pathogenic to seedlings of the winter wheat cv. Mercia. The study identified 12 new previously undocumented hosts for Fusarium species.