Fig. 5

FocGCS is required for full virulence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4. a Symptoms on banana roots at 30 days post-inoculation (dpi). The Cavendish banana variety Brazilian (Musa spp. AAA group) was inoculated with the WT, ∆FocGCS, and complemented strains. Images are representative of three independent experiments. b Disease score of the inoculated banana plants at 30 dpi. Disease severity was assessed on a scale of 0–4. The disease score (%) = (the number of inoculated banana plants with different disease severity) / (the number of total inoculated banana plants) × 100. c Fungal biomass in roots of the inoculated plants. Relative fungal growth in planta was evaluated by qRCR analysis of FocEF1α and banana ACT1 and shown as a ratio of FocEF1α/ACT1. The mean values ± SD were calculated from three independent experiments, and asterisks indicate significant differences from the WT group (Student’s t-test, ***P < 0.001)