POTATO TUBER SPROUT ROT CAUSED BY Fusarium sambucinum IN TURKEY

Abstract

Fusarium dry rot is one of the most important diseases of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), affecting the tubers in storage and the seed pieces after planting. Fusarium sambucinum Fuckel - teleomorph Gibberella pulicaris (Fr.) Sacc. - is a common pathogen causing dry rot of stored tubers in temperate areas. To establish strategies for the control of this disease it should be made primarily a correct diagnosis and detection symptoms of disease caused by fungus on potato tuber. Natural infected tubers was exemined macroscopically and incubated in controlled environment chamber. Pathogenicity study carried out in vitro condition that showed both tubers and sprout were diseased and decayed by F. sambucinum. Consequently, the same symptoms were observed both on natural infected and artificially infected tubers. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. sambucinum causing a sprout rot of developing sprouts on seed tubers in Turkey.