The Fusarium Laboratory Workshop 2023 was held on June 18th – 23 rd, 2023 in Bari, Italy.
The objectives of this workshop is to improve knowledge and skills for identification of genus Fusarium which includes morphological identification of Fusarium Species, testing for Vegetative Compatibility Groups (VCGs) and Cross-Fertility, DNA Extraction, PCR Amplification, and sequence analysis, practical training and workshops.
By integrating these morphological and molecular approaches, participants gain a comprehensive understanding of Fusarium identification, which is essential for effective disease diagnosis, management, and research.
Lecturers were Anne Van Diepeningen from the Biointeractions and Plant Health unit of Wageningen University and Research (Holland), Anthony Glenn – Research Leader at USDA, ARS in Athens (GA, USA), Antonia Susca – Senior Researcher at CNR-ISPA in Bari (Italy), Antonio F. Logrieco – Director of CNR-ISPA in Bari (Italy), Antonio Moretti – Research Leader at CNR-ISPA in Bari (Italy), Brett Summerell – Chief Scientist and Director of Science, Education and Conservation at the Australian Institute of Botanical Science at the Botanic Gardens Sydney (Australia), David Geiser – Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Director of the Fusarium Research Center, Pennsylvania State University (PA, USA), Florence Forget – Director of INRAE-MycSA (France), Gary Munkvold – Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology & Microbiology at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center (IA, US) John F. Leslie from University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University (KS, USA), Riccardo Baroncelli – Professor of Plant Pathology in the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL) at the University of Bologna (IT) and Rudolf Krska – Professor at BOKU Vienna (Austria) and Queen’s University Belfast (Ireland).
The program of the workshop was divided in five blocks.
Block 1
- Introduction to Fusarium morphology and taxonomy
- Sequence based identification of Fusarium
- Introduction to Species concepts
- F. sambucinum species complex (Part I)
- Trichothecenes & Zearalenone
- Isolate recovery and purification
- Single spore isolation
- Soil dilution and plant isolation
- Laboratory session – Morphological and molecular identification
Block 2
- Fusarium head blight
- Mycotoxin determination
- Fusarium plant pathogenicity
- Vegetative compatibility
- Strain preservation and conservation
- F. oxysporum/F. solani Species Complexes and basal lineages
- Single spore isolation lab follow-up
- Preservation techniques
- Laboratory session – Morphological and molecular identification
Block 3
- Fusarium genetics and genomics
- F. fujikuroi Species Complex
- Fumonisins and other mycotoxins
- Tropical region Fusarium species and diseases
- Population genetics
- DNA analysis and identification
- Mycotoxin detection
- Laboratory session – Morphological and molecular identification
Block 4
- Temperate region Fusarium species and diseases
- Mating type
- F. sambucinum (Part II) and F. tricinctum Species Complexes
- Mycotoxin detection
- F. incarnatum-equiseti Species Complex
- Morphology and DNA Sequence quiz
- Laboratory session – Morphological and molecular identification
Block 5
- Fusarium in human and domesticated animals
- Current Issues in Fusarium Taxonomy and Nomenclature Closing thoughts
