Studies on the genus Fusarium in Egypt

Five Fusarium species were recovered from the rhizoplane of healthy and damped-off cotton, pea, tomato, maize and wheat seedlings raised in the field during a 12-month experiment: F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. moniliforme, F. acuminatum and F. equiseti. F. solani and F. oxysporum were the most common species in the rhizoplane of healthy and damped-off seedlings of cotton, pea, wheat and tomato. In the case of maize, they were surpassed by F. moniliforme which was very scarce in the roots of the other test plants. There was some regular periodicity in the occurrence of Fusarium species in the rhizoplane of test plants. F. oxysporum showed its highest records usually in winter months, F. solani usually in moderate and high temperature months, and F. moniliforme, in maize rhizoplane, in winter months.