Fusarium Species Associated with Foxtail Millet (Setaria Italica) in Iran

Objective: Fusarium diseases that cause grain mold and stalk rot of millet are the most important diseases, of these crops in Iran. Fusarium can cause stalk rots, ear rots, and grain mold, resulting in serious production losses in millet, and produce mycotoxins that are harmful to both humans and domesticated animals.  Methods: A total of 23 Fusarium isolates were recovered from Foxtail millet collected from different geographic regions of Southern Khorasan provinces in Iran during 2012 - 2014. Fusarium isolates were identified based on the morphological characters. Results: According to morphological features, 9 out of 23 isolates were identified as F. solani, one as F. fujikuroi, three as F. diversisporum., one as F. verticillioides, three as F. semitectum, two as F. equiseti, one as F. crookwellense and three as F. acuminatum. Based on the available references, all Fusarium species that were recovered in this study, are reported from  millet for the first time from Iran.