Foliar Symptom Expression in Association with Early Infection and Xylem Colonization by Fusarium virguliforme (formerly F. solani f. sp. glycines), the Causal Agent of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome

Soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS), caused by Fusarium virguliforme (FV), is a root disease that results in severe foliar symptoms during the reproductive stage. In a regular growing season, an epidemic of SDS is highly correlated with the planting date and the disease tends to be more severe in earlier planted soybeans. Occurrence of infection early in the season is likely to result in colonization in the xylem and phloem tissues, a process essential for foliar symptom expression because xylem tissues are upward pathways in soybean plants. To demonstrate the biology of this infection, we used an effective and quantifiable seedling inoculation technique in which germinated seeds in a Petri dish were spray-inoculated with conidial suspension before being transplanted. Plants that had foliar symptoms showed both external and internal discolored taproots and basal stems, while plants with no foliar symptoms had only superficial discoloration. Microtome sectioning of taproots of plants that had foliar symptoms revealed the presence of fungal structures in both xylem and phloem tissues, while plants that had no foliar symptoms revealed fungal structures only in phloem tissue. A scanning electron microscope study showed a higher penetration frequency of FV near the root-cap zone where few or no root hairs of the radicle were found. These results indicate that fungal penetration into the xylem tissue plays a role in foliar symptom expression. Accepted for publication 10 December 2007. Published 22 February 2008.