Fusarium cugenangense as a novel causal agent of wilt disease on Pyrus pyrifolia in China
Published 12 February, 2026
In recent years, an unusual wilt disease affecting Pyrus pyrifolia (pear trees) has been observed in various regions of Jiangsu, China. This disease appears to originate from the roots and then move upward, producing characteristic browning along the vascular tissues that can extend more than two metres above ground. This symptom profile differs from that of known pear diseases and, in most cases, affected trees die within the same year or the following year. Notably, the disease can continue to spread to neighboring trees even after symptomatic trees are removed, posing a serious risk to pear production.
To determine the causative agent, researchers in China isolated the pathogen and carried out morphological and molecular characterisation, followed by pathogenicity tests consistent with Koch's postulates. They identified the culprit as the fungus Fusarium cugenangense.
They reported their results in the Journal of Integrative Agriculture.
"F. cugenangense was identified based on characteristics of the colonies and conidia, in addition to a phylogenetic analysis using DNA sequences of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), calmodulin (CaM), and RNA polymerase second largest subunit (rpb2) genes," shares corresponding author Yancun Zhao, a professor at Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences. "By introducing GFP-labeled pathogens into the roots, colonization in stem and leaf tissues was observed via fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy."
Furthermore, the pathogens were successfully reisolated from stems and foliage, conclusively providing evidence of systemic infection within the pear plants."
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. cugenangense causing pear wilt disease in China," says co-corresponding author Fengquan Liu, a professor at Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences & Guizhou University.
Contact Authors:
Chaohui Li, E-mail: chaohuili@yeah.net;
Correspondence Yancun Zhao, E-mail: zhaoyc27@126.com;
Fengquan Liu, E-mail: fqliu20011@sina.com
Funder:
This work was supported by the Jiangsu Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Fund, China (CX(23)1011), the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-28), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31901837), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M671389), the Basal Research Fund for the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China (ZX(23)3016), and the Yafu Technology Service Project, China (KF(23)1106).
Conflict of Interest:
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
See the Article:
Li C H, et al. 2026. Identification of Fusarium cugenangense as a causal agent of wilt disease on Pyrus pyrifolia in China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(1): 157-165.