Morpho-Molecular Identification of and Associated with Symptomatic Wilting of Potato from Pakistan.

Potato ( L.) is one of the emerging staple crops in Pakistan, with Punjab producing over 95% of the country's potatoes. Wilt is an emerging threat to the potato crop worldwide, including in Pakistan. We identified and characterized species associated with potato wilt in Pakistan through morphological and molecular analyses. Samples were collected during the 2020-2022 potato seasons from five major potato-growing regions: Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Pakpattan, Kamalia, and Faisalabad. Morphological characterization, () sequencing, specific () sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis were used to identify six different species: , , , , and . Pathogenicity tests in a greenhouse revealed that and were responsible for Fusarium wilt in all sampled regions, with being more prevalent in wilted samples. This is the first report of on wilted potatoes in Pakistan. In vitro biocontrol tests using showed 89% inhibition against and 65% inhibition against . These findings on will aid in developing future control strategies, including biocontrol measures for Fusarium wilt in potatoes.