A Robust Metric for the Environmental Quantification of Fusarium Oxysporum f. Sp. Vasinfectum Race 4

In order to better understand the potential risk of developing or spreading Fusarium wilt of cotton, its epidemiology must be better characterized. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4) is a soil-borne fungal pathogen of cotton that is distinguished from other races by causing disease in absence of the root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Inconsistency in the inoculum density of the pathogen within a single field further complicates the understanding of its density. To rectify this, a metric was developed, funded by Cotton Incorporated, to quantify genomic DNA of FOV4 from environmental samples using quantitative PCR. This method was further optimized by using droplet digital PCR to detect small quantities of FOV4. Detection of inoculum using this metric will assist in understanding how much inoculum is present in individual fields and the routes through which inoculum is moving between fields. This work will be presented as a part of the student competition.