Fusarium oxysporum is a devastating pathogen which causes huge economic losses to several crops including cucurbits. F. oxysporum has different formae speciales (f. sp.) which have similar morphological characters, but in general they are host-specific. The f. sp. of F. oxysporum pathogenic to cucurbits are mostly host-specific and distinguished on the basis of host species. However, some exceptions to the concept of host specificity of the f. sp. are there, where cross-pathogenicity exists in the formae specials infecting cucurbits. Mostly, the f. sp. of F. oxysporum is not pathogenic to single host plant only, but is also able to infect other plants in the family cucurbitaceae. However, aggressiveness of cross-pathogenicity may vary according to the host plant it infects.
Cross-pathogenecity, formae speciales, Fusarium oxysporum, Cucurbits
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