Fusarium Center collects, studies fungus
UNIVERSITY PARK - The
world’s largest collection of a
fungus called Fusarium, used in
studies of plant diseases, is stored
at the Fusarium Research Center
of Penn State.
Specimens have come in from
distant lands, including Australia,
New Caledonia, Africa, South
America, Southeast Asia, and even
central China in addition to
various parts of the U.S.
All cultures of the fungi are kept
alive by freeze-drying and are
stored at minus 40° Fahrenheit in
special vials. That’s the only way a
collection of living organisms in
such magnitude can be tended,
according to T.A. Toussoun and
P.E. Nelson, plant pathologists in
charge. As frozen cultures, the
fungi are inactive until grown out
again at room temperature.
Habits of various fungi are
diverse. Some are aggressive
organisms that will attack and kill
plants. Some will infect tomatoes
only and no other plant. Such fungi
are called “host specific.”
These fungal organisms attack a
number of plants such as coffee,
banana, maple, pine, citrus,
wheat, com, carnation, turf grass,
potato, cabbage, cotton, water
melon, bean, flax, alfalfa, pea,
tobacco, radish, soybean, clover...
the list goes on and on.
Some Fusarium species prefer to
grow on stored grain and other
types of feed. These can produce
spoilage leading to the production
of mycotoxins, especially under
humid storage conditions or when
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drying is incomplete.
When eaten, toxic products of
such fungi may lead to abortion in
cattle, affect egg laying in poultry,
and may cause death. Many people
died in Russia during World War II
from eating spoiled grain.
Human afflictions can occur in
other ways, the Penn Staters
noted, such as infections of the
nails and of the skin and eyes.
Infections known as “mycotic
keratitis” of the eyes must be
diagnosed and treated promptly,
since the danger of losing vision is
great.
Hospitals across the nation send
many cultures of Fusarium
species to Penn State for diagnosis.
The collection also houses cultures
that infect marine turtles, lobsters,
and shrimp. And there are coun
tless other specimens about which
nothing much is known other than
that they exist in a certain habitat
in a particular comer of the world.
Toussoun and Nelson decided
many years ago that the Fusarium
Research Center was needed if
scientists wanted to understand
and come to grips with this vastly
diverse array of fungi. Established
in 1970, the Center provides an
identification service free of
charge to scientists and physicians
studying fungi, plant diseases, and
the biology of a fungus.
The Center also authenticates
cultures for use by scientists who
need specific strains or cultures.
This is important for researchers
who are breeding plants for
disease resistance or who want
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to test chemical or biological
control programs against specific
disease producing fungi.
In addition, scientists can store
Fusarium cultures at the Center.
Fusarium species are notoriously
variable, it was pointed out, and
are difficult to keep in culture for
extended time due to frequent
mutations which can alter
radically their appearance and
behavior.
In 1978 a contract was received
from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Under this con
tract a book on identification of
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ticulture. A cooperative program
of the University of Delaware and
Longwood Gardens, it is the only
graduate program in the nation
that specializes in training
professional managers for hor
ticultural institutions.
Kate Dragolovich, Kensington,
Cal., is currently completing a
master’s degree in horticulture at
the University of California at
Davis.
Robert Halpem, Great Neck,
N.Y., is presently a student of
horticulture and landscape design
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Fusarium species was published in
1963, and a book on toxigenic
Fusarium species will be published
in 1984. Both books will be
published by the Penn State Press.
In addition, the International Toxic
Fusarium Reference Collection
was established which contains
several hundred known toxigenic
strains of Fusarium species.
Personnel of the Fusanum
Research Center are active in
research. Some of the studies
involve other scientists at Penn
State and elsewhere. Cooperative
Longwood fellows named
at Temple University in
Philadelphia, where he is also a
groundskeeper.
Kristine Medic, Abington, Pa.,
holds a bachelor’s degree in or
namental horticulture from
Purdue University. A member of
Xi Sigma Pi national forestry and
wildlife honorary society, she is
now completing a year as un urban
forestry intern at the Morris Ar
boretumin Philadelphia.
Maureen Murphy, San Diego,
Cal., is now the landscape
supervisor at a resort in Hawaii.
Sarah Price, State College, Pa.,
programs have been carried out
with or are underway with per
sonnel in the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture; the
University of Sydney, Australia;
the University of Florida at
Bradenton; Cornell University;
and the South African Medical
Research Council.
The address for the Fusanum
Research Center at Penn state is
211 Buckhout Laboratory,
University Park, PA 16802.
Telephone calls may be made to
814-865-9773.
is associate editor of “Organic
Gardening” magazine. She holds a
bachelor’s degree in botany from
the University of Michigan. She
once served as an apprentice to the
herb gardener of the United
Society of Shakers at Sabbathday
Lake, Maine.
Since the inception of the
Longwood graduate program in
1967, more than 60 fellows have
earned master’s degrees and are
now employed by arboretums and
botanic gardens as directors,
horticulturists, educators, public
relations specialists and curators
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