Interactions between Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and Callus of Susceptible and Resistant Tomato Lines: Fungal Growth and Phytoalexin Accumulation

Callus cultures derived from isogenic lines of the tomato cultivars Moneymaker and Craigella, resistant or susceptible to F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, were inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 1. Fungal growth was restricted on callus derived from resistant plants, after inoculation with a conidial suspension, whereas callus derived from susceptible plants was totally overgrown by the fungus within 7 days. The concentration of the phytoalexin rishitin was significantly higher in the callus culture derived from a resistant tomato line compared with the callus culture from a susceptible line, 2 and 3 days after inoculation with mycelium. The results of the experiments were compared with experiments with whole plants. Rishitin production as well as growth of the fungus was comparable with responses in plant‐fungus interaction. Therefore callus culture may be useful in studying the interaction between tomato plants and race 1 of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.