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Fusarium wilt of Luffa , caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. luffae , causes great losses in Luffa plants worldwide. In this study, 45 accessions of Luffa germplasm were used to determine their resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. luffae isolates (FOLUST, FOLUSC, Fomh16, and Fol114) in two independent trials. In the first trial, only FOLUST was used to preliminarily identify resistant accessions. Nine accessions of Luffa acutangula and five of L. aegyptiaca were resistant to the FOLUST isolate. In the second trial, the other three isolates were then used to reevaluate the 14 resistant accessions. The results indicated that the 14 accessions were resistant to FOLUSC but exhibited variable resistance to the Fomh16 and Fol114 isolates. Eight accessions of L. acutangula and one accession of L. aegyptiaca were resistant to Fol114. Seven accessions of L. acutangula and one accession of L. aegyptiaca were resistant to Fomh16. Despite the lack of any symptoms, the F. oxysporum f. sp. luffae isolates were recovered from the hypocotyls of all resistant accessions at 28 days postinoculation, except for isolates FOLUSC and FOLUST on one accession (LA140). A high percentage (87.5%) of accessions collected from Bangladesh were identified as resistant, highlighting the effect of local adaptation on resistance. These results provide potentially valuable genetic resources for breeding programs to develop new varieties or rootstocks that could be beneficial for controlling soilborne diseases in different cucurbit crops and further investigating the mechanisms of resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. luffae in Luffa plants., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user's needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important Fusarium species, including the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus Fusarium into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus Neocosmospora , with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic. Here, we test this claim and provide a phylogeny based on exonic nucleotide sequences of 19 orthologous protein-coding genes that strongly support the monophyly of Fusarium including the FSSC. We reassert the practical and scientific argument in support of a genus Fusarium that includes the FSSC and several other basal lineages, consistent with the longstanding use of this name among plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, students, and researchers with a stake in its taxonomy. In recognition of this monophyly, 40 species described as genus Neocosmospora were recombined in genus Fusarium , and nine others were renamed Fusarium. Here the global Fusarium community voices strong support for the inclusion of the FSSC in Fusarium , as it remains the best scientific, nomenclatural, and practical taxonomic option available.