Molecular phylogeny and diversity of Fusarium endophytes isolated from tomato stems

Plant tissues are a known habitat for two types of Fusarium species: plant pathogens and endophytes. Here, we investigated the molecular phylogeny and diversity of endophytic fusaria, because endophytes are not as well studied as pathogens. A total of 543 Fusarium isolates were obtained from the inside of tomato stems cultivated in soils mainly obtained from agricultural fields. We then determined partial nucleotide sequences of the translation elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α) genes of the isolates. Among the isolates from tomato, 24 EF-1α gene sequence types (EFST) were found: nine were classified as being from the Fusarium oxysporum species complex and its sister taxa (FOSC, 332 isolates), seven from the F. fujikuroi species complex (FFSC, 75 isolates) and eight from the F. solani species complex (FSSC, 136 isolates). To determine more characteristic details of the tomato isolates, we isolated 180 fusaria directly from soils and found 95% of them were nested within the FOSC (82 isolates; five EFSTs), FFSC (21 isolates; six FESTs) and FSSC (68 isolates; 11 EFSTs). These results suggested that the dominant Fusarium endophytes within tomato stems were members of the same three species complexes, which were also the dominant fusaria in the soils.