Fusarium oxysporum (Schlecht as emended by Snyder and Hansen),[1] an ascomycete fungus, comprises all the species, varieties and forms recognized by Wollenweber and Reinking[2] within an infrageneric grouping called section Elegans.

While the species, as defined by Snyder and Hansen, has been widely accepted for more than 50 years,[3][4] more recent work indicates this taxon is actually a genetically heterogeneous polytypic morphospecies,[5][6] whose strains represent some of the most abundant and widespread microbes of the global soil microflora.

[7] The Fot1 family of transposable elements was first discovered by Daboussi et al., 1992 in several formae speciales[8][9] and Davière et al., 2001 and Langin et al., 2003 have since found them in most strains at copy numbers as high as 100.

Researchers used anonymous, single-copy restriction fragment length polymorphsims (RFLPs) to identify 10 clonal lineages from a collection of F. oxysporum f.sp.

[21] On the other hand, the plant might be able to tolerate limited growth of the fungus within xylem vessels, preceded by an endophytic association.

In 2000, the government of Colombia proposed dispersing strains of Crivellia and Fusarium oxysporum, also known as Agent Green, as a biological weapon to forcibly eradicate coca and other illegal crops.

[27] In February 2001, the EU Parliament issued a declaration specifically against the use of these biological agents in warfare.