What is the Difference Between Fusarium Solani and Fusarium Oxysporum

The key difference between Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum is that Fusarium solani produces cream to dark blue colour colonies on PDA media while Fusarium oxysporum produces lilac to purple colour colonies that exhibit dark purple streaks radiating from the center of the colonies on PDA media.

Fusarium is a large genus of filamentous fungi with approximately 1000 known species. Fusarium species are often distributed in soil and associated with plant roots. Most species in this genus are harmless saprobes. The species of this genus produce mycotoxins such as fumonisins and trichothecenes. However, Fusarium species are among the most important fungal species, producing beneficial secondary metabolites. The common secondary metabolites of Fusarium species include phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, and terpenes. These secondary metabolites have a wide range of biological properties, such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activity. Therefore, Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum are two species belonging to the genus Fusarium.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Fusarium Solani 
3. What is Fusarium Oxysporum
4. Similarities – Fusarium Solani and Fusarium Oxysporum
5. Fusarium Solani vs. Fusarium Oxysporum in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Fusarium Solani vs. Fusarium Oxysporum

What is Fusarium Solani?

Fusarium solani is a fungal species that belongs to the genus Fusarium. It is the anamorph of Nectria haematococca. This fungus is mainly found in the soil. It is also a colonist in plant materials. It is also associated with roots of plants and can be located as deep as 80 cm in the ground. This fungal species is usually isolated in the tropic, subtropic, and temperate locations. F. solani has 5-13 chromosomes with a genome size of about 40 Mb. However, it is less frequently identified in alpine habitats. The genus Fusarium was described by Link in 1809, and it is currently a filamentous fungal species with a worldwide distribution. This genus contains at least 100 phylogenetically distinct species.

F. solani produces blue-green, bluish-brown, or ink-blue colonies in PDA. These colonies are low floccose, loose, slimy, and sporadic. This fungal species grows rapidly on PDA but not rapidly as Fusarium oxysporum. In PDA media, F. solani colonies reach up to a diameter of 64 to 70 mm within seven days. Furthermore, Fusarium solani produces antimicrobials against bacteria and cytotoxic compounds such as taxol and its precursor baccatin III against cancer cells. Anyhow, F. solani is implicated in a number of plant diseases such as damping off, corn rot, root rot and soya bean, and sudden death of plants. It is also associated with human diseases such as eye cornea infection.

What is Fusarium Oxysporum?

Fusarium oxysporum is an ascomycete fungus that belongs to the family Nectriaceae and the genus Fusarium. This fungal species has been found in soils in areas ranging from the Sonoran Desert to tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, and even tundra soils. It is also a plant endophyte that colonizes plant roots and protects plants through disease suppression. F. oxysporum has a genome of 67.98Mb with 19 chromosomes.

It produces lilac to purple colour colonies that exhibit dark purple streaks radiating from the center of the colonies on PDA media. Compared to F. solani, F. oxysporum grows very rapidly in PDA. Furthermore, F. oxysporum is currently used to detect hidden underground gold reserves, and it is also used to manufacture gold nanoparticles. However, F. oxysporum causes plant diseases such as yellowing, wilting, and death in plants.

What are the Similarities Between Fusarium Solani and Fusarium Oxysporum?

• solani and F. oxysporum are two different species belonging to the genus Fusarium.
• Both species belong to the family Nectriaceae and division Ascomycota.
• They are mainly soil fungi.
• Both species are filamentous fungi.
• They can be grown in PDA.
• Both species show sexual as well as asexual reproduction.
• They produce macroconidia, microconidia, and chlamydospores.
• They are also plant pathogens.

What is the Difference Between Fusarium Solani and Fusarium Oxysporum?

Fusarium solani produces cream to dark blue colour colonies on PDA media, while Fusarium oxysporum produces lilac to purple colour colonies that exhibit dark purple streaks radiating from the center of the colonies on PDA media. Thus, this is the key difference between Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum. Furthermore, F. solani has a genome of 40Mb with 5-13 chromosomes, while F. oxysporum has a genome of 67.98Mb with 19 chromosomes.

The infographic below presents the differences between Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Fusarium Solani vs Fusarium Oxysporum

Fusarium is a famous genus of endophytic fungi. The species of this genus produce beneficial secondary metabolites that have various bioactivities. Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum are two species belonging to the genus Fusarium. Both these species can be differentiated morphologically by using a PDA medium. This is because Fusarium solani produces cream to dark blue colour colonies on PDA media, while Fusarium oxysporum produces lilac to purple colour colonies that exhibit dark purple streaks radiating from the center of the colonies on PDA media. So, this is the key difference between Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum.

Reference:

1. “Fusarium Solani.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
2. “Fusarium Oxysporum.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. 5393379” By Fred Brooks from the United StatesUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa – Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. (CC BY 3.0 us) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Fusarium oxysporum E.F. Sm. & Swingle 4822044” By Edward L. Barnard from United StatesFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Fusarium oxysporum E.F. Sm. & Swingle (CC BY 3.0 us) via Commons Wikimedia