From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. albedinis
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. asparagi
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. batatas
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. betae
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cannabis
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cepae
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. citri
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. coffea
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cyclaminis
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. herbemontis
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. dianthi
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lentis
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lini
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. medicaginis
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. pisi
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ricini
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. tulipae
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum
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.
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