Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Fungi/Fusarium oxysporum"

Revision as of 11:03, 31 January 2006

Fusarium oxysporum, also referred to as Agent Green, is a fungus that causes Fusarium wilt disease in more than a hundred species of plants. It does so by colonizing the water-conducting vessels (xylem) of the plant. As a result of this blockage and breakdown of xylem, symptoms appear in plants such as leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death.

Interest in Fusarium oxysporum as a pesticide was first raised after the discovery in the 1960s that it was the causative agent in the destruction of the Hawaiian coca population.

The United States government was involved in a controversial program to use Fusarium oxysporum for the eradication of coca in Colombia and other Andean countries, but these plans were cancelled by president Bill Clinton who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare. The Andean nations have since banned its use throughout the region. Use of biological agents to kill crops is potentially illegal under the Biological Weapons Convention.

External links

Biological Warfare in the War on Drugs Transnational Institute (TNI) website
Vicious Circle: The Chemical and Biological 'War on Drugs' report by the Transnational Institute, March 2001

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Taxobox begin | color = lightblue | name = Fusarium oxysporum}}
+{{Taxobox
-<!-- {{Taxobox image | image = | caption = }} -->
+| color = lightblue
-{{Taxobox begin placement | color = lightblue}}
+| name = ''Fusarium oxysporum''
-{{Taxobox regnum entry | taxon = [[Fungi]]}}
+| regnum = [[Fungi]]
-{{Taxobox divisio entry | taxon = [[Ascomycota]]}}
+| divisio = [[Ascomycota]]
-{{Taxobox classis entry | taxon = [[Sordariomycetes]]}}
+| classis = [[Sordariomycetes]]
-{{Taxobox ordo entry | taxon = [[Hypocreales]]}}
+| ordo = [[Hypocreales]]
-{{Taxobox familia entry | taxon = [[Nectriaceae]]}}
+| familia = [[Nectriaceae]]
-{{Taxobox genus entry | taxon = '''''Fusarium'''''}}
+| genus = '''''Fusarium'''''
-{{Taxobox species entry | taxon = '''''F. oxysporum'''''}}
+| species = '''''F. oxysporum'''''
-{{Taxobox end placement}}
+| binomial = ''Fusarium oxysporum''
-{{Taxobox section binomial botany | color = lightblue | binomial_name = Fusarium oxysporum | author = [[Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal|Schltdl.]]}}
+| binomial_authority = [[Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal|Schltdl.]]
-{{Taxobox end}}
+}}
-'''''Fusarium oxysporum''''' is a [[fungus]] that causes '''Fusarium wilt''' disease in more than a hundred species of plants. It does so by colonizing the water-conducting vessels ([[xylem]]) of the plant. As a result of this blockage and breakdown of xylem, symptoms appear in plants such as leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death.
+'''''Fusarium oxysporum''''', also referred to as '''Agent Green''', is a [[fungus]] that causes '''Fusarium wilt''' disease in more than a hundred species of plants. It does so by colonizing the water-conducting vessels ([[xylem]]) of the plant. As a result of this blockage and breakdown of xylem, symptoms appear in plants such as leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death.
-Interest in fusarium oxysporum as a pesticide was first raised after the discovery in the 1960s that it was the causative agent in the destruction of the Hawaiin coca population.
+Interest in ''Fusarium oxysporum'' as a [[pesticide]] was first raised after the discovery in the 1960s that it was the causative agent in the destruction of the [[Hawaii]]an [[coca]] population.
-The [[United States]] government was involved in a controversial program to use fusarium oxysporum for the [[coca eradication|eradication of coca]] in [[Colombia]] and other [[Andes|Andean]] countries, but these plans were cancelled by president [[Bill Clinton]] who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare.  The Andean nations have since banned its use throughout the region. Use of biological agents to kill crops is potentially illegal under the [[Biological Weapons Convention]].
+The [[United States]] government was involved in a controversial program to use ''Fusarium oxysporum'' for the [[coca eradication|eradication of coca]] in [[Colombia]] and other [[Andes|Andean]] countries, but these plans were cancelled by president [[Bill Clinton]] who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare.  The Andean nations have since banned its use throughout the region. Use of biological agents to kill crops is potentially illegal under the [[Biological Weapons Convention]].
 == See also ==
+banana wilt
 * [[Panama disease]]
 * [[Mycoherbicide]]
@@ Line 28: / Line 30: @@
 * [http://www.tni.org/drugs/pubs/vicious2.htm Vicious Circle: The Chemical and Biological 'War on Drugs'] report by the Transnational Institute, March 2001
 [[Category:Fusarium]]
-[[Category:Plant diseases|Fusarium wilt]
+[[Category:Plant diseases|Fusarium wilt]]
+[[Category:Biological weapons]]