During 2000's, a new-wilting disease has impaired 20 - 40 % of yields of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in Taiwan. Infected plants showed stunting, root/stem rot, defoliation, dieback, vascular discoloration and wilting. Twenty-four fungal isolates (FOB01-24) were isolated from diseased basil plants in fields. Pathogenicity tests based on Koch's postulates indicated that all of 24 isolates caused above-mentioned symptoms in basil but no symptoms in another 5 Lamiaceae and 6 other Family plants after inoculation. Moreover, these isolates were identified as Fusarium oxysporum based on morphological characteristics and showed the same sequence of elongation factor 1-alpha gene (EF-1) with forma specialis "basilici". The results demonstrated that the wilting disease of basil in Taiwan is a new disease and can be caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. basilici.
2000年間,台灣中部及南部地區羅勒(Ocimum basilicum L.)普遍發生一種不明病因之萎凋型病害,造成田間20-40 %的產量損失。罹病植株首先矮化及生長不良,後續發生根莖腐敗、落葉及梢枯等病徵,切開組織可見維管束褐化,嚴重時全株萎凋死亡。自受感染組織中分離得到24株真菌分離株(FOB01-24),經柯霍氏法則證實FOB01-24皆對羅勒具有病原性,但對其他5種唇型科及6種不同科植物則無。進一步根據FOB01-24的孢子及菌落形態,佐以elongation factor 1-alpha gene (EF-1)基因序列分析,證實臺灣羅勒萎凋病是由Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. basilici所引起,為羅勒新記錄病害。