Effect of harvest date on barley grain contamination with Fusarium spp. and deoxynivalenol in northeastern Ontario

Abstract

The effect of harvest date on the incidence of seed-borne Fusarium spp. and deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was studied using three cultivars at three locations in Ontario in both 2004 and 2005. The profile of seed-borne Fusarium spp. was dominated by F. equiseti (Corda) Sacc., F. sporotrichioides Sherb., and F. poae (Peck) Wollenw., isolated from 4.4%, 3.3%, and 1.6% of the kernels, representing 39.3%, 29.4%, and 14.2% of the Fusarium pathogen population, respectively. Fusarium graminearum Schwabe and F. avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc. were each recovered from <1% of the kernels and represented 8.3% and 6.6% of the pathogen population, respectively. Other species, including F. acuminatum Ellis & Everh., F. culmorum (W.G. Sm.) Sacc., and F. semitectum Berk. & Rav., collectively occurred only on 0.2% of all kernels and represented <2% of the population. The incidence level of all Fusarium spp. increased from 6.9 to 13.9% when harvest was delayed. Of the commonly recovered species, only F. avenaceum and F. sporotrichioides levels increased with the delayed harvest, while other species did not follow a clear pattern. DON concentration in the harvested grain ranged from 0.20 to 0.28 mg kg‑1 with the five harvest dates, and was not statistically different. Significant differences in the incidence of all Fusarium spp. and in DON concentration were observed among cultivars, locations, and between the 2 yr of the study. The highest DON concentration observed in this study was 0.5 mg kg‑1, which is below the Canadian tolerance level of 1.0 mg kg‑1.L’effet de la date de récolte sur l’incidence des concentrations aéroportées de Fusarium spp. et de désoxynivalénol (DON) chez l’orge (Hordeum vulgare L.) a été étudié à l’aide de trois cultivars dans trois sites en Ontario en 2004 et 2005. Le profil des Fusarium spp. aéroportées était dominé par F. equiseti (Corda) Sacc., F. sporotrichioides Sherb. et F. poae (Peck) Wollenw., retrouvées dans 4,4 %, 3,3 % et 1,6 % des grains et représentant 39,3 %, 29,4 % et 14,2 % de la population pathogène de Fusarium, respectivement. Fusarium graminearum Schwabe et F. avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc. ont été retrouvées dans <1 % des grains et représentaient 8,3 % et 6,6 % de la population pathogène, respectivement. D’autres espèces, y compris F. acuminatum Ellis & Everh., F. culmorum (W.G. Sm.) Sacc. et F. semitectum Berk. & Rav., étaient présentes dans seulement 0,2 % des grains et représentaient <2 % de la population. Le taux d’incidence de toutes les espèces de Fusarium augmentait de 6,9 à 13,9 % lorsque la récolte était retardée. Chez les espèces les plus souvent retrouvées, seuls les taux de F. avenaceum et F. sporotrichioides ont augmenté lorsqu’on retardait la récolte, alors que les autres espèces n’ont pas suivi de tendance claire. Les concentrations de DON dans les grains récoltés variaient entre 0,20 et 0,28 mg kg‑1 selon les cinq dates de récolte et n’étaient pas statistiquement différentes. Des différences significatives dans l’incidence de toutes les espèces de Fusar...

The influence of harvesting time and meteorological conditions on the occurrence of Fusarium species and mycotoxin contamination of spring cereals

“…This agrees with previuos findings which showed that a delayed harvest could be a further factor that enhances mycotoxin content in grains. Our results are in line with those of a previous study for which it was observed that a harvest delayed by 2 weeks was correlated with an increase in the incidence of total Fusarium and F. sporotrichioides in Canada between 2004 and 2005.…”

“…were the lowest in grains harvested at full maturity. Similarly, it has been noticed that the incidence level of all Fusarium spp. in barley increased from 6.9 to 13.9% when harvest was delayed.…”

The ‘how to’ on incentivising farmers to adapt Fusarium mycotoxin management of wheat

“…Although harvest date is difficult to influence due to weather conditions, a delayed harvest should be avoided. In three barley cultivars (AC Vision, Brucefield, and OAC Baxter), a delayed harvest by two weeks was correlated with the increase of the incidence of total Fusarium and F. sporotrichioides in Canada between 2004(Xue et al 2008. Harvesting two weeks before the expected harvest was significantly lowering the presence of total Fusarium and F. sporotrichioides.…”

“…In addition, no significant correlation was found between the presence of the Fusarium spp. F. avenaceum, F. equiseti, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. sporotrichioides, and DON content in barley (Abramson et al 1998;Xue 2013;Xue et al 2006).…”

“…Choosing a resistant barley cultivar can be effective to mitigate Fusarium infection and mycotoxin accumulation. Barley cultivars have different susceptibility to Fusarium infection and mycotoxin accumulation (Bérubé et al 2012;Chrpová et al 2011;Langevin et al 2004;Xue 2013;Xue et al 2006). Susceptible characteristics include six-rowed barley, and open-flowering types and hulled varieties.…”