First Report on Identification of Fusarium graminearum Species Complex Members from Turkey and Iran

Fusarium graminearum species complex is the major Fusarium head blight disease pathogen in worldwide. Fusarium head blight disease lead to damages on small grain cereals. The identification of the F. graminearum species complex is important for improving disease control and management. Traditional identification methods such as macroscopy and microscopy analysis need to be supported by biochemical and genetics assays. Thus, DNA sequencing-based methods is one of the most preferred, reliable, low priced in the identification methods. In the study, 54 F. graminearum isolates obtained from diseased wheat, barley and corn fields in Turkey and Iran were identified by morphological characteristics and then characterized by species-specific SCAR marker. β-tubulin, Tef1-α, 28s rDNA and Histone H3 genes amplified, purified and then sequenced. The merged multiloci length was obtained as last of all 2215 bp. These sequencing results was used to multiloci genotyping assays. Last of all, 20 isolates were determined as F. graminearum sensu stricto by multiloci genotyping analysis. Remaining isolates were identified as F. asiaticum or Fusarium sp. . The findings are important in terms of revealing the first-time identification in Turkish and Iranian isolates as F. graminearum species complex members by amplification four (β-tubulin, Tef1-α, 28s rDNA and Histone H3) highly conserved DNA regions.