Fusarium culmorum is the causal agent of root rot and crown rot in soft wheat. The aim of this study was to investigate the control mechanism of Talaromyces pinophilus HD25G2 as a biocontrol agent against F. culmorum. This involved the isolation and molecular identification of Fusarium and Talaromyces strains from soft wheat. The assay included the inhibition test of F. culmorum mycelial growth on potato dextrose agar and soft wheat media at two water activity values (0.98 and 0.95), its production of mycotoxins, and the fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes implicated in the antagonistic effect of T. pinophilus. The results showed that T. pinophilus and its extract free of cells reduced the growth of F. culmorum by over 55%. Interestingly, the T. pinophilus HD25G2 showed high chitinase, protease, and cellulose production on solid media. In addition, chitinolytic and proteolytic activities were estimated at the values of 1.72 ± 0.02UI and 0.49 ± 0.01UI, respectively. However, the mycotoxin evaluation assay revealed that F. culmorum HD15C10 produced zearalenone (ZEA) and the biocontrol agent enhanced its production, but the early inoculation of T. pinophilus, before F. culmorum growth onset, inhibited 100% its growth and, therefore, prevented the presence of ZEA. Hence, this strain can be proposed as a biocontrol agent against F. culmorum, and it can be further investigated for biocontrol of Fusarium root and crown rot in vivo.

This study was conducted to valorise a medicinal plant from the Algerian flora. The main aim is to investigate for the first time the influence of some pedo-climatic parameters on the chemical composition diversity of Cinnamomum camphora L.’s essential oil harvested in two different regions, Algeria. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation method, physicochemical analysis was conducted on the essential oils in order to determine their physicochemical quality, as well as their composition, was analysed by GC-MS. The powder of the leaves and the rhizospheric soil of the two plants was analysed by infrared spectrometry and by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in order to determine the difference of chemical and mineralogical composition of the powders and the soils from both regions. The GC-MS analysis of the two essentials oils showed a huge difference of their chemical composition and that the essential oil of the plant harvested from Chrea national park (116 compounds are richer than the one harvested in El hamma garden (76 compounds), however, the two essential oils presented some similar chemical compounds mainly: α-Pinene, sabinene, β-Pinene, 1,8- Cineole, camphor, Eugenol and (E)-Nerolidol. The results obtained in this study highlighted the fact that Cinnamomum camphora is a rich source of chemical compounds that can be used in food and pharmaceutical industry however, this chemical diversity is related and influenced by pedoclimatic parameters.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber dry rot caused by Fusarium spp. is a major postharvest disease responsible for significant storage losses worldwide. This study investigated Fusarium isolates recovered from symptomatic potato tubers collected in February 2025 from storage facilities in the Mascara region of Algeria. To our knowledge, this is the first regional characterization of Fusarium-associated dry rot in stored potato tubers from Mascara, Algeria. By integrating morphological characterization, quantitative pathogenicity assessment, and targeted molecular identification, the study examined the relationship between morphotype occurrence and disease-causing potential. A total of 118 purified Fusarium isolates were obtained from symptomatic potato tubers and grouped into 28 morphotypes based on cultural and morphological characteristics. One representative isolate from each morphotype was evaluated for pathogenicity on potato tubers of cv. ‘Arizona’ under controlled incubation conditions, and disease severity was quantified by image analysis. Of the 28 representative isolates tested, 15 induced dry rot symptoms, with marked differences in aggressiveness, whereas several isolates induced little or no necrosis under the conditions tested. Selected aggressive isolates were further analyzed using TEF1-α sequencing, which identified F14 as F. sambucinum and F171 as F. redolens, while F4 and F34 were identified to the F. oxysporum and F. solani species-complex level, respectively. Importantly, morphotype frequency did not necessarily reflect disease severity, as some of the most aggressive isolates belonged to less common morphotypes. These findings suggest that isolation frequency alone may not adequately reflect pathogenic importance and support the integration of occurrence data, pathogenicity testing, and molecular identification in the assessment of Fusarium-associated dry rot in potato storage systems.