Phytopathological Threats Associated with Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Cultivation and Seed Production in an Area of Central Italy

Abstract

In 2017, in a new Chenopodium quinoa cultivation area (Central Italy), emergence failures of the Titicaca, Rio Bamba, and Real varieties, whose seeds were obtained the previous year (2016) in the same location, were observed. Moreover, leaf disease symptoms on the Regalona variety, whose seeds came from Chile, were detected. Visual and microscopic analyses showed the presence of browning/necrotic symptoms on the seeds of the three varieties whose emergence in the field had failed. In addition, their in vitro germination rates were strongly compromised. Fusarium spp. was isolated with high incidence from Titicaca, Rio Bamba, and Real seeds. Among the detected Fusarium species, in the phylogenetic analysis, the dominant one clustered in the sub-clade Equiseti of the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti (FIESC) species complex. Instead, the pathogen associated with Regalona leaf symptoms was identified, by morphological and molecular features, as Peronospora variabilis, the causal agents of downy mildew. This is the first report of both P. variabilis and F. equiseti on C. quinoa in Italy. Species-specific primers also detected P. variabilis in Regalona seeds. These results underline the importance of pathogen monitoring in new quinoa distribution areas, as well as of healthy seed production and import for successful cultivation.

Marketed Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Seeds: A Mycotoxin-Free Matrix Contaminated by Mycotoxigenic Fungi

“…Moreover, even if Fusarium spp. were not detected in the EU samples analyzed in this investigation, the presence of Fusarium secondary metabolites reported by Ramos-Diaz et al [ 23 ] in quinoa seeds from Denmark showed that also Fusarium species can be associated with EU quinoa seed samples, as also previously reported by Beccari et al [ 51 ]. However, both Ramos-Diaz et al [ 23 ] and Beccari et al [ 51 ] refer to the species Fusarium equiseti , while in this study, the non-mycotoxigenic species Fusarium oxysporum was identified in four extra-EU samples.…”

“…Despite the abundant literature concerning the infection of cereals by mycotoxigenic fungi and relative contamination by mycotoxins, the number of scientific papers concerning the presence of these contaminants in pseudocereals, quinoa in particular, is smaller [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

“…and BenA and CaM ( Aspergillus spp.). For each genus, the sequences of the isolates obtained in the present investigation, as well as those of representative isolates obtained from Genbank, including those of the main Alternaria ( Table S3 ), Penicillium ( Table S4 ), Aspergillus ( Table S5 ), Cladosporium ( Table S6 ) and Fusarium ( Table S7 ) species reported in the literature on C. quinoa ( Table S8 ) [ 18 , 19 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ], were used. Moreover, Stemphylium herbarum CBS 191.86 [ 31 ], Talaromyces flavus CBS 310.38 [ 30 ], Cercospora beticola CBS 116,456 [ 56 ] and Neurospora crassa OR74A [ 57 ] were included as outgroups for phylogenetic analysis of Alternaria , Aspergillus and Penicillium , Cladosporium and Fusarium , respectively.…”

Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures: Advances and Perspectives

“…Aspects related to quinoa diseases were reviewed by Colque-Little et al [ 19 ], who summarized existing information on symptoms and causal agents. In Central Italy, the presence of P. variabilis and F. equiseti was monitored on C. quinoa [ 20 ]. Seed dormancy and breeding as well as nonbreeding strategies for enhancing resistance to preharvest sprouting in quinoa were reviewed by McGynti et al [ 21 ].…”

Characterization, phylogeny and pathogenicity of Fusarium solani causing quinoa basal stem rot in Shanxi Province, China

“…in Peru (Danielsen et al, 2003), damping-off (caused by F. avenaceum and Fusarium spp.) in the Czech Republic (Dřímalková & Veverka, 2004) and Japan (Isobe et al, 2019), browning or necrotic symptoms on seeds (caused by the F. incarnatum-equiseti species complex) in Italy (Beccari et al, 2021), and quinoa panicle rot (caused by F. citri) in China (Yin et al, 2022). Notably, there has been no detailed research on the species of pathogens associated with Fusarium wilt (Danielsen et al, 2003).…”