Reaction of winter wheat and barley cultivars to Fusarium pseudograminearum‐inoculated fields in the dryland Pacific Northwest, USA

Abstract

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), caused by Fusarium pseudograminearm and Fusarium culmorum, is a yield-limiting disease in arid wheat-producing areas of the inland Pacific Northwest. Foliar fungicide applications and currently available seed treatments do not control FCR. Alternative crops that provide a rotational benefit to reduce disease are not economically feasible. Majorgene resistance is unavailable, but there is preliminary evidence that some wheat and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars are more resistant than others. We followed up on preliminary work by growing 14 varieties of winter wheat, planted with in-furrow FCR inoculum, in 2018 and 2019 in Morrow County, Oregon-one of the world's driest wheat producing regions. Two barley cultivars were added to the experiment during the second year of research. Evaluations of cultivar resistance were made by conducting aboveground visual assessments by counting whiteheads, prematurely senesced wheat heads that are indicative of FCR infection. Whitehead count information was correlated with yield and grain volume weight data. Maximum whitehead counts were measured in plots of the FCR-susceptible check cultivar 'Stephens'.There was no evidence of a cultivar-specific relationship between whitehead count and corresponding values for yield and grain volume weight. There was limited evidence that some cultivars have the capacity to compensate for effects of disease.

Antagonistic effects of Talaromyces muroii TM28 against Fusarium crown rot of wheat caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum

“…Fusarium crown rot (FCR), which is a soil-borne disease caused by various Fusarium species, is one of the most significant wheat diseases in many countries ( Kazan and Gardiner, 2018 ), The incidence of FCR disease showed a rapid increase year by year, particularly under the adoption of wheat-maize crop rotation and straw return cropping patterns. The dominant pathogen causing FCR in wheat varies in different regions of Central Asia ( Bozoglu et al, 2022 ; Ozer et al, 2023 ), Australia ( Saad et al, 2021 , 2022 ; Buster et al, 2023 ), Africa ( Hadjout et al, 2022 ; Mawcha et al, 2022 ; Theron et al, 2023 ), the Middle East ( Minati, 2020 ; Ozer et al, 2020 ) and North America ( Hagerty et al, 2021 ; Shrestha et al, 2021 ), F. pseudograminearum and F. graminearum are the main pathogens. FCR caused by F. pseudograminearum ( Fp ) was first reported in Henan province, China ( Li et al, 2012 ), and has since become the dominant pathogen in the Huanghuai Plain.…”

“…, Africa (Hadjout et al, 2022;Mawcha et al, 2022;Theron et al, 2023), the Middle East (Minati, 2020;Ozer et al, 2020) and North America (Hagerty et al, 2021;Shrestha et al, 2021), F. pseudograminearum and F. graminearum are the main pathogens. FCR caused by F. pseudograminearum (Fp) was first reported in Henan province, China (Li et al, 2012), and has since become the dominant pathogen in the Huanghuai Plain.…”