and Species Associated with Rot of and Other Succulent Plants.

Infections by and -like species on cacti and other succulent plants cause the syndrome known as Fusarium dry rot and soft rot. There are only few records of species as pathogens of cacti and other succulent plants from Iran. The objective of this study was the identification and characterization of fusarioid species recovered from ornamental succulents in Shiraz County, Iran. Three fusarioid species, including , , and (formerly ), were recovered from 29 diverse species of cacti and other succulents with symptoms of Fusarium dry rot and soft rot. The three fungal species were identified on the basis of morphological characters and the phylogenetic analysis of the translation elongation factor1-α () nuclear gene. The isolates were identified as f. sp. . The pathogenicity of the three fusarioid species was tested on a range of economically important ornamental succulents, mostly in the family. The three species showed a broad host spectrum and induced different types of symptoms on inoculated plants, including soft and dry rot, chlorosis, necrotic spots, wilt, drying, root and crown rot. This is the first report of as a pathogen of succulent plants worldwide.