Draft Genomes of Five Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum Strains Isolated from Infected Watermelon from Texas with Temporal and Spatial Differences

Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (FON) is a soilborne fungal pathogen of watermelon that has significantly impacted production worldwide. In the United States, watermelon growers can experience 30 to 100% yield loss from this soil pathogen. In this study, we present five draft genome sequences of FON-race 2 isolates collected from four different counties within Texas, spanning more than 23 years. The estimated genome sizes of the de novo assembled genomes were W2 = 49 Mb, COM = 48 Mb, HAR = 49 Mb, STORM = 49 Mb, and PRU = 48 Mb. These sizes were on par with the previously sequenced FON races 0 and 2 from Texas, which ranged from 49 to 54 Mb. Gene prediction program AUGUSTUS predicted 13,554 genes in W2, 13,658 genes in COM, 13,678 genes in HAR, 13,821 genes in STORM, and 13,347 genes in PRU. The information from our five genome drafts contributes to the southeast genomic dataset of FON for comparative genomic analysis. Furthermore, the sequences are beneficial in the understanding of changes within the FON genome over time. [Formula: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 “No Rights Reserved” license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law, 2023.