Isoelectric focusing isozyme profiles and taxonomic distances among Fusarium species of the sections Arthrosporiella and Sporotrichiella.

Isozymes from 18 isolates representing seven species of the Fusarium sections Arthrosporiella and Sporotrichiella were compared by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels. Of the six enzyme systems tested esterase and malate dehydrogenase showed the largest variation. A numerical analysis of the pI values determined for acid phosphatase, esterase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucose isomerase and phosphoglucomutase resulted in a dendrogam demonstrating the taxonomical relationships of the seven species. Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium pallidoroseum were the two most closely related species. The high degree of isoenzyme dissimilarity among Fusarium chlamydosporum, Fusarium poae, Fusarium tricinctum, the fungi that produce pyriform or citriform microconidia, suggests that they are distinct species and their reduction to a variety level is not reasonable. The taxonomical distinctness of Fusarium camptoceras, a lesser known and rarely occurring fungus was also proven.