Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the interactions between wheat plant (spikelets and straws), a strain of mycotoxigenic pathogen Fusarium graminearum and commercial biocontrol agents (BCAs). The ability of BCAs to colonize plant tissue and inhibit the pathogen or its toxin production was observed throughout two phases of the life cycle of pathogens in natural conditions (colonization and survival). All evaluated BCAs showed effective reduction capacities of pathogenic traits. During establishment and the expansion stage, BCAs provoked an external growth reduction of F. graminearum (77–93% over the whole kinetic studied) and mycotoxin production (98–100% over the whole kinetic studied). Internal growth of pathogen was assessed with digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and showed a very strong reduction in the colonization of the internal tissues of the spikelet due to the presence of BCAs (98% on average). During the survival stage, BCAs prevented the formation of conservation perithecia of the pathogen on wheat straw (between 88 and 98% of perithecia number reduction) and showed contrasting actions on the ascospores they contain, or perithecia production (−95% on average) during survival form. The mechanisms involved in these different interactions between F. graminearum and BCAs on plant matrices at different stages of the pathogen’s life cycle were based on a reduction of toxins, nutritional and/or spatial competition, or production of anti-microbial compounds.
Highlights
After 8 days of incubation, spikelets were dissected and internal tissues were observed to verify the endophyte capacities of the pathogen and biocontrol agents (BCAs)
F. graminearum (Figure 1G), rapidly colonized the palea/lemma and was able to penetrate into the tissue via stomata and to produce large quantities of conidia
All three BCAs were able to colonize the internal tissues of the spikelet
Summary
Some fungal pathogens, such as certain Fusarium strains, produce mycotoxins, such as trichothecenes, that contaminate food and can cause health problems, such as vomiting, immunotoxic effects, or reproductive disorders [1]. In 2019 in Central Europe, almost 65% of the food and feed samples analyzed contained mycotoxins above threshold limits [2]. Cereals and cereal based-products are the first factor of consumer exposure to mycotoxins [3], especially deoxynivalenol (DON). Mycotoxins are difficult to degrade and are very stable during transformation processes [4]
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