Biological characterization of Fusarium sp. isolates on red chili plants (Capsicum annuum) from Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Nugraheni ES, Widadi S, Supyani. 2018. Biological characterization of Fusarium sp. isolates on red chili plants (Capsicum annuum) from Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. Bioteknologi 15: 92-98. This study examines the biological character, and virulence diversity of Fusarium sp. isolates in red chili plants (Capsicum annuum L.) from Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. This study was conducted from October 2009 to May 2010 at the Laboratory of Plant Pests and Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. This study was designed as exploratory research in the field and an experiment in the laboratory. Observation variables included colony growth rate, colony phenotype, sporulation, and virulence test. Data from growth rate observations, colony phenotype, and sporulation were presented in descriptive form. Meanwhile, data from the virulence test were analyzed for variance with the F test at a 5% level. If the treatment has a significant effect, it is continued with Duncan's Multiple Distance Test (DMRT) at a 5% level. The results showed that the fungus of Fusarium sp. on red chili plants from Boyolali had distinguished macroscopic and microscopic diversity, with different levels of virulence. The colony group of Fusarium sp. isolates that had a low virulence level was the isolate of group D. In contrast, the biological characters of isolate D showed white mycelium like cotton, long macroconidia shape with a tapered tip, macroconidia with 3-6 septa, microconidia with 0-1 septa, size [(±5.35x3.15)-(±4.75x2.5)] µm x [(±27.36x4.10)] µm, spore density between 25.64x10⁶-27.76x10⁶ spores/ml. This isolate has the potential as a hypovirulent isolate that can be used as an environmentally friendly biological control agent, particularly by applying the hypovirulent isolate in a biological control system with induced resistance and virocontrol with mycovirus methods.