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Flood Inoculation of Fusarium eumartii in Tomato Seedlings: Method for Evaluating the Infectivity of Pathogen Spores

Summary

This research paper presents a detailed procedure for testing how a fungus called Fusarium eumartii infects young tomato plants. Scientists use a simple flooding method to apply fungal spores to tomato seedlings and then measure how much damage occurs and how much fungus remains in the plant tissue. This standardized method helps researchers evaluate new fungicides and find ways to protect tomato crops from this harmful fungal disease.

Background

Fusarium solani f. sp. eumartii (F. eumartii) is a significant post-harvest disease pathogen traditionally recognized in potatoes but also identified in tomato plants and other Solanaceae family members. Different methods of infecting tomato plants with Fusarium fungi have been reported in literature, requiring standardized approaches for pathogen assessment.

Objective

This protocol describes a simple, reliable, and reproducible flood-inoculation method to assess the infection of tomato seedlings with F. eumartii pathogen. The method enables simultaneous evaluation of fungal infectivity through lesion area measurement and quantification of remaining fungal inoculum.

Results

The validated protocol successfully demonstrates fungal infection in tomato seedlings with clear disease symptoms appearing within 5-6 days post-inoculation. Validation using chitosan treatment showed approximately 90% reduction in necrotic symptoms and 83% decrease in residual fungal inoculum compared to untreated controls.

Conclusion

This straightforward and efficient bioassay provides a powerful quantitative tool for evaluating F. eumartii infectivity in tomato seedlings and screening fungicidal compounds or defense response inducers. The method’s adaptability makes it applicable to various plant-pathogen interactions for crop disease prevention.
  • Published in:Bio Protoc (BioProtocol),
  • Study Type:Protocol/Methods Paper,
  • Source: PMID: 39959300, DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5198
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