An overview of ecological and habitat aspects in the genus Fusarium with special emphasis on the soil-borne pathogenic forms.

The genus Fusarium is diverse, widespread and commonly found world-wide. This ubiquitous fungus exists in soils, gross s in and on living and dead plants and plant products, on living and dead animals; its conidia are water-borne, but in some instances may be air-borne and its chlamydospores are typically soil-borne. When a sexual stage exists, the ascospores are air-borne, some spores may be found at rather high altitudes. There are salt-water forms, living in the deep sea, souse in the shells of sea turtles, causing the shells to break up. Some forms have been isolated from within the corneas of diseased eyes of humans and animals, and cited as the cause of a serious problem leading to vision loss. Species of Fusarium vary greatly in growth rates, substrate and optimal climatic preferences, there are those found only in the tropics, while others are the causative agent of snow mold. They contain a wide range of pigments, ranging from light tans and yellows, carmine red, green, bright blue to blue-black, some that are water soluble (quinone-type compounds), others fat soluble (carotinoids) and some that are closely bound to spore walls. Four different kinds of spores are recognized in the genus- macro- and microconidia. chlamydospores and ascospores. Sclerotia of variable sizes can also occur in culture and are brown, some blue black and there even some white ones. Most Fusarium spp. grow well on typical laboratory media and are easy to culture.