Relationships between Genetic Diversity and Fusarium Toxin Profiles of Winter Wheat Cultivars

Abstract

Fusarium head blight is one of the most important and most common diseases of winter wheat. In order to better understanding this disease and to assess the correlations between different factors, 30 cultivars of this cereal were evaluated in a two-year period. Fusarium head blight resistance was evaluated and the concentration of trichothecene mycotoxins was analysed. Grain samples originated from plants inoculated with Fusarium culmorum and naturally infected with Fusarium species. The genetic distance between the tested cultivars was determined and data were analysed using multivariate data analysis methods. Genetic dissimilarity of wheat cultivars ranged between 0.06 and 0.78. They were grouped into three distinct groups after cluster analysis of genetic distance. Wheat cultivars differed in resistance to spike and kernel infection and in resistance to spread of Fusarium within a spike (type II). Only B trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and nivalenol) produced by F. culmorum in grain samples from inoculated plots were present. In control samples trichothecenes of groups A (H-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, T-2 tetraol, T-2 triol, scirpentriol, diacetoxyscirpenol) and B were detected. On the basis of Fusarium head blight assessment and analysis of trichothecene concentration in the grain relationships between morphological characters, Fusarium head blight resistance and mycotoxins in grain of wheat cultivars were examined. The results were used to create of matrices of distance between cultivars – for trichothecene concentration in inoculated and naturally infected grain as well as for FHB resistance Correlations between genetic distance versus resistance/mycotoxin profiles were calculated using the Mantel test. A highly significant correlation between genetic distance and mycotoxin distance was found for the samples inoculated with Fusarium culmorum. Significant but weak relationships were found between genetic distance matrix and FHB resistance or trichothecene concentration in naturally infected grain matrices.

Frequent Occupational Exposure to Fusarium Mycotoxins of Workers in the Swiss Grain Industry

“…The co-occurrence of DON, NIV and ZEN in aerosols was in accordance with that observed in wheat dust. A high correlation between DON and NIV has been observed in wheat spikes [4] and was suggested to result from the production of toxins by the same Fusarium species [4,14]. Highly significant correlations between DON and ZEN and NIV and ZEN were also found in our study.…”

“…The mycotoxins of main concern are deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN). These mycotoxins are produced in variable quantities in the plant by Fusarium species—mainly F. graminearum and F. culmorum , depending on the wheat cultivar [4]. The accumulation of mycotoxins in the plant is favored by particular meteorological conditions during wheat flowering, the culture of maize as a previous crop, and reduced tillage [5,6].…”

Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Concentrations in a Moderately Resistant Winter Wheat Cultivar Under Different Nutrient Regimes

“…Boomer is moderately resistant to Fusarium head blight FHB (Góral et al 2015). In the growing season of 2012, symptoms of FHB were observed only sporadically, on 4.5% of wheat plants fertilized with NPK+Cu+Zn+Mn.…”

Performance of Winter Wheat Cultivars Grown Organically and Conventionally with Focus on Fusarium Head Blight and <em>Fusarium</em> Trichothecene Toxins

“…The cultivars were listed in the Polish National List of the Research Centre for Cultivar Testing (COBORU) and were added to the list between 1998 ('Mewa') and 2009 ('Belenus'). The cultivars were described in details in the paper of Góral et al [20]. They differed in the pedigree, morphological characters, and resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB).…”