Genetic analysis of beta tubulin targeted benzimidazole fungicide resistance in some fusarium species and their molecular interaction

Abstract

newlineThe emergence of fungicide resistance among phytopathogenic fungi is a serious problem that challenges efficacy of disease management strategies. Benzimidazole derivatives such as carbendazim (MBC) and thiophanate methyl (TM) are used as broad-spectrum systemic fungicide that inhibit cell division in the target fungi by binding to and#946;-tubulin and interfering the polymerization of and#945;-, and#946;-tubulin dimers into stable microtubules. Thus, mutation(s) in the and#946;-tubulin gene appears to be the most common mechanism for development of benzimidazole resistance. In addition, non-target site mechanisms such as induction or over-expression of drug efflux transporters, transcription factors and detoxification of fungicide have been attributed to MBC resistance in several fungi. Members of the genus Fusarium are agriculturally important plant pathogen. Phylogenetic position of different species of the genus was studied using sequences of rDNA regions (ITS and LSU) and and#946;-tubulin gene, and based on sequence homology and phylogenetic positions, the Fusarium isolates collected from different agricultural fields were identified