Fusarium  is one of   the  important genera associated with grasses as saprophytes, endophytes
and  pathogens. A  study was  carried  out  on  distribution  and  diversity  of  Fusarium  species
associated  with  two  groups  of   grasses  in  10  states  throughout  Peninsular  Malaysia  i.e.
agricultural  grasses  (Oryza  sativa  and  Saccharum  officinarum)  and  non-agricultural  grasses
(Axonopus compressus, Centhotheca lappacea, Chloris barbata, Crysopogon aciculatus, Cyanadon dactylon,
Dactyloctenium  aegyptium, Digitaria  ciliaris,  Echinochloa  colona,  Eleusine  indica,  Eragrostis  amabilis,
Eragrostis malayana, Eragrostis uniloides, Ischaemum magnum, Panicum brevifolium, Panicum millaneum,
Panicum repens, Paspalum  commersonii, Paspalum  conjugatum, Paspalum orbiculare, Pennisetum purpureum,
Sacciolepis  indica, Sporobolus diander and Sporobolus  indicus). A  total of  474  isolates were single-
spored and  identified by morphological characteristics. F.  semitectum was  frequently  isolated
(23.6%), followed by F. sacchari and F. fujikuroi with 15.4% and 14.6%, respectively. The other
nine species were F. solani (10.3%), F. proliferatum (8.9%), F. oxysporum (7.4%), F. subglutinans
(6.5%), F.  equiseti  (5.5%), F.  verticillioides  (3.4%), F.  compactum  (2.5%), F.  chlamydosporum  (1.1%) and
F. longipes (0.8%). Based on the Shannon-Weiner Index, F. solani was the highest (H' = 2.62)
isolated from grasses. Species of  Fusarium from O. sativa were widely diverse with 11 species,
followed by non-agricultural grasses with nine species and S. officinarum with only six species.
This  is  the  first  report on diversity of  Fusarium associated with grasses  in Malaysia.
Key words: Oryza  sativa,  Saccharum  officinarum,  non-agricultural  grass,  Fusarium  species,
diversity  and Gramineae