Survey of Fusarium Species in Arid Environment of Bahrain. III. Abundance and Seasonal Changes of Fusarium Species in the Terrestrial Habitats of Bahrain PDF

Keywords

Fusarium, Bahrain, habitats

Abstract

Twelve Fusarium species were recovered from seven different habitats, namely salt marsh, playa basin, sabkha, sand dunes, rhoda, water spring, and cultivated soil in Bahrain Island. A soil-dilution plate technique was used to recover Fusarium species on Nash and Snyder, Komada selective, and Fusarium selective medium. A total of 59 isolates were recovered in summer and a total of 323 isolates were recovered in winter. The species recovered were F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. tricinctum, F. equiseti, F. sambucinum, F. pallidoroseum, F. chlamydosporum, F. compactum, F. reticulatum, F. nivale, F. lateritium, and F. moniliforme. F. solani and F. oxysporum were found to be the most prevalent species in summer and in winter. The results indicate that species distribution and abundance over this small geographical scale could be affected by salinity.