Updated survey of Fusarium species and toxins in Finnish cereal grains

Abstract

The aim of the project was to produce updated information during 2005-14 on the Fusarium species found in Finnish cereal grains, and the toxins produced by them, as the last comprehensive survey study of Fusarium species and their toxins in Finland was carried out at the turn of the 1960s and the 1970s. Another aim was to use the latest molecular and chemical methods to investigate the occurrence and correlation of Fusarium species and their mycotoxins in Finland. The most common Fusarium species found in Finland in the FinMyco project 2005 and 2006 were F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. sporotrichioides and F. langsethiae. F. avenaceum was the most dominant species in barley, spring wheat and oat samples. The occurrence of F. culmorum and F. graminearum was high in oats and barley. Infection by Fusarium fungi was the lowest in winter cereal grains. The incidence of Fusarium species in 2005 was much higher than in 2006 due to weather conditions. F. langsethiae has become much more common in Finland since 2001. F. graminearum has also risen in the order of importance. A highly significant correlation was found between Fusarium graminearum DNA and deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in Finnish oats, barley and wheat. When comparing the FinMyco data in 2005-06 with the results of the Finnish safety monitoring programme for 2005-14, spring cereals were noted as being more susceptible to infection by Fusarium fungi and the formation of toxins. The contents of T-2 and HT-2 toxins and the frequency of exceptionally high DON concentrations all increased in Finland during 2005-14. Beauvericin (BEA), enniatins (ENNs) and moniliformin (MON) were also very common contaminants of Finnish grains in 2005-06. Climate change is leading to warmer weather, and this may indicate more changes in Finnish Fusarium mycobiota and toxin contents and profiles in the near future.

Infection conditions of Fusarium graminearum in barley are variety specific and different from those in wheat

“…Since in the field, many other factors can influence the appearance of symptoms, we assume that an estimation of the DON content is not possible by visual assessment. Nevertheless, the FG incidences and the DON contents were closely related, which showed that FG was the main DON producer, as observed in other studies with several cereal types (Hietaniemi et al 2016;Lindblad et al 2013). …”

Occurrence of Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 Toxins in Italian Malting Barley

“…Even in Finland, spring cereals have been noted to be more susceptible to fungal infection and mycotoxins formation than winter cereals [19]. Orlando et al [23] identified sowing date as the most important agronomic factor that influences the levels of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in French barley.…”

“…The original DNA and toxin concentrations were transformed to logarithmic values in order to obtain a more normal distribution for the values of toxin and DNA concentrations [19]. …”

Visual assessment and computer–assisted image analysis of Fusarium head blight in the field to predict mycotoxin accumulation in wheat grains

“…These high amounts can be partly explained by the way plots were inoculated since DON amounts in the non-inoculated trial were much lower (data not shown). However, similar or higher DON amounts have already been recorded in Germany, Poland, Japan, the USA or Argentina in non-inoculated fields (Placinta et al 1999;Hietaniemi et al 2016). Therefore, inoculating F. graminearum on the soil surface could mimic conditions encountered during a year of severe infection.…”