Fusarium oxysporum
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| Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl. |
Fusarium oxysporum, also referred to as Agent Green, is a fungus that causes Fusarium wilt disease in more than a hundred species of plants. It does so by colonizing the water-conducting vessels (xylem) of the plant. As a result of this blockage and breakdown of xylem, symptoms appear in plants such as leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death.
Interest in Fusarium oxysporum as a pesticide was first raised after the discovery in the 1960s that it was the causative agent in the destruction of the Hawaiian coca population.
The United States government was involved in a controversial program to use Fusarium oxysporum for the eradication of coca in Colombia and other Andean countries, but these plans were cancelled by president Bill Clinton who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare. The Andean nation have since banned its use throughout the region. Use of biological agents to kill crops is potentially illegal under the Biological Weapons Convention.
Different special forms (f.sp.) of F. oxysporum
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cepae
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. herbemontis
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. nicotianae
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. passiflorae
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. phaseoli
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ricini
- Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum
[edit] Countermeasures
A number of recent patents specifically describe effective treatments of Fusarium oxysporum, reflecting its widespread importance as an agricultural pest.
- US 5,614,188: two strains of Bacillus in a composition of chitin and lime used to fight Fusarium in the soil.
- US 2004/136964 A1: Trichoderma asperellum mixed into container media (such as peat).
- US 4,714,614: a strain of Pseudomonas putida in combination with an iron chelating agent (such as EDTA).
- US 4988586: any of six types of bacteria that degrade fusaric acid, a toxin that damages plants and furthers infection.
- US 6100449 and WO 1996/032007 A1: a small genomic region (I2C) conferring resistance in transgenic tomatoes.
- US 2003/131376 A1: use of transgenic plants expressing enzymes capable of destroying Fusarium cell walls.
- US 4006265: spraying of crops with hydrogen peroxide to reduce the effect of contamination by Fusarium toxins.
- WO 2005/074687 A1: cure of infected plants by spraying with natamycin or other polyene antibiotics.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Crop Knowledge Master: Fusarium oxysporum
- Doctor Fungus: Fusarium oxysporum
- Biological Warfare in the War on Drugs Transnational Institute (TNI) website
- Vicious Circle: The Chemical and Biological 'War on Drugs' report by the Transnational Institute, March 2001
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