Sensitivity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense to phosphonate

Phosphonate (0.1 mM) significantly reduced growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) race 4 grown at an optimal phosphate concentration of 0.3 mM in vitro. At higher phosphate concentrations, closer to physiological conditions within the plant, the sensitivity of Foc race 4 to phosphonate was greatly reduced, with 25 mM phosphonate required to reduce growth by 50% at 1 mM phosphate. Two isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi and another race of Foc, race 1, were shown to be similar to Foc race 4 in their sensitivity to phosphonate, while another species of Fusarium, F. avenaceum , was more sensitive to phosphonate in vitro.