Occurrence and Pathogenicity of Fusarium Species in Banana Fruits

Abstract Banana fruits were studied over a six‐month period in order to determine the incidence of species of the Fusarium genus and assess their potential pathogenicity. The 72 samples studied were commercially available in Italy and Spain, where they were brought from Panama, Ecuador and Canary Islands. Among the species detected in the fruits, Fusarium semitectum var. majus Wollenw. was predominant, followed by F. moniliforme Sheld., F. solani (Mart.) Appel & WoUenw., F. oxysporum Schlecht., F. proliferatum (Matsushima) Nirenberg, F. graminearum Schw., F. camptoceras WoUenw. &C Reinking, F. subglutinans (WoUenw. & Reinking) Nelson et al., F. dimerum Penzig in Sacc, F. acuminatum EU. & Ev., and F. equiseti (Corda) Sacc. Fusarium proliferatum had never been reported to occur as contaminating fungi in banana fruits to date. Fusarium subglutinans, F. acuminatum and F. graminearum were found to be the most markedly pathogenic of all. The lack of noticeable differences in relation to the incidence of the different species isolated from the samples indicates that the mycoflora found is typical of this fruit and does not depend on its origin.