Comparative studies about fungal colonization and deoxynivalenol translocation in barley plants inoculated at the base with Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium pseudograminearum

Abstract

Fusarium crown rot (FCR), an important disease of wheat and barley, is mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum, F. culmorum and F. pseudograminearum, which are also responsible for mycotoxin production. This is the first comparative investigation of their colonization on barley plants after stem base inoculation. At plant maturity, FCR symptoms were visually evaluated, fungal biomass was quantified by Real-Time quantitative PCR and deoxynivalenol (DON) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All the inoculated strains caused the typical FCR necrotic symptoms. Real-Time PCR analysis showed that F. graminearum and F. culmorum were present in the head tissues, while F. pseudograminearum colonized only up to the area including the second node of the stem. Conversely, DON was detected up to the head for all the three species. This study shows that, as already demonstrated in previous research for wheat, DON may be detected up to the head as a consequence of stem base infection by the three FCR agents.

Fungal and mycotoxin contaminants in cannabis and hemp flowers: implications for consumer health and directions for further research

“…Paradoxically, some endophytes may also produce secondary metabolites that are harmful to humans and other animals (i.e., mycotoxins; see Section 3.3). Translocation of these mycotoxins within the plant to distal tissues, including inflorescences, has been demonstrated for other crops (Snigdha et al, 2015;Pecoraro et al, 2018;Jaster-Keller et al, 2023), but to the best of our knowledge, translocation of mycotoxins within cannabis and hemp has not been demonstrated. A secondary metabolite produced by the endophyte, Sarocladium zeae, inhibited biosynthesis of the mycotoxin, fumonsin, by Fusarium verticillioides, a phytopathogen that coexists with S. zea in corn seed (Gao et al, 2020).…”

“…In addition to causing chronic immunosuppression and cancer, trichothecenes such as DON (one of the most common Fusarium mycotoxins, also known as vomitoxin), nivalenol (NIV), and T-2 toxin can cause acute symptoms of toxicosis, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and death ( Ji et al, 2019 ). Translocation of DON from stem base infections to the inflorescences has been reported in barley and wheat plants, which while not showing obvious symptoms in the inflorescences, may contain DON or other mycotoxins ( Pecoraro et al, 2018 ). An analysis of gelatin capsules containing the cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD; n = 10) revealed the presence of T-2 toxin in 10% of the samples but the levels were below those allowed for animal food ( Narváez et al, 2020 ).…”

Isolation and Genome-Based Characterization of Biocontrol Potential of Bacillus siamensis YB-1631 against Wheat Crown Rot Caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum

“…Yield losses caused by FCR are approximately 10% but can be over 30% when conditions favor the disease, such as drought or high humidity, temperature, and soil organic matter [2]. Although F. pseudograminearum only colonizes wheat roots up to the second stem node, the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) also can be detected in the head, creating a serious threat to the health of humans and animals [3].…”

Comparison of Antifungal Activity of Bacillus Strains against Fusarium graminearum In Vitro and In Planta

“…Multiple efforts have been made to control Fg and its mycotoxin production. The strategies to control it include crop improvement, crop management, application of chemical pesticides, RNA silencing, DON degradation and use of Microbial Biological Control Agents (MBCA) [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The use of fungicides to control fungal pathogens was the first option for some years ago [ 17 ].…”