Cultivation Area Affects the Presence of Fungal Communities and Secondary Metabolites in Italian Durum Wheat Grains.

Giovanni Beccari,Maria Teresa Senatore,Virgilio Balmas,Michael Sulyok,Andrea Onofri,Luca Pedini,Antonio Prodi,Luca Brocca,Francesco Tini,Lorenzo Covarelli

doi:10.3390/toxins12020097

Abstract

In this study, durum wheat kernels harvested in three climatically different Italian cultivation areas (Emilia Romagna, Umbria and Sardinia) in 2015, were analyzed with a combination of different isolation methods to determine their fungal communities, with a focus on Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex composition, and to detect fungal secondary metabolites in the grains. The genus Alternaria was the main component of durum wheat mycobiota in all investigated regions, with the Central Italian cultivation area showing the highest incidence of this fungal genus and of its secondary metabolites. Fusarium was the second most prevalent genus of the fungal community in all cultivation environments, even if regional differences in species composition were detected. In particular, Northern areas showed the highest Fusarium incidence, followed by Central and then Southern cultivation areas. Focusing on the FHB complex, a predominance of Fusarium poae, in particular in Northern and Central cultivation areas, was found. Fusarium graminearum, in the analyzed year, was mainly detected in Emilia Romagna. Because of the highest Fusarium incidence, durum wheat harvested in the Northern cultivation area showed the highest presence of Fusarium secondary metabolites. These results show that durum wheat cultivated in Northern Italy may be subject to a higher FHB infection risk and to Fusarium mycotoxins accumulation.

Highlights

With a production of about 4.4 million tons and a cultivated area of 1.3 million hectares in 2015, Italy is one of the most important countries in the world for durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp.durum (Desf.) Husn.) cultivation [1,2]
The fungal colonies belonging to the genus Alternaria showed a significantly higher presence (p ≤ 1 × 10−4 ) within the fungal community developed from durum wheat grains following both
Emilia Romagna (p = 0.41), the number of Alternaria colonies recovered with the Deep-Freezing Blotter (DFB) was significantly higher (p ≤ 1 × 10−4 ) than those detected on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) (Figure 1, Table S1)

Summary

Introduction

With a production of about 4.4 million tons and a cultivated area of 1.3 million hectares in 2015, Italy is one of the most important countries in the world for durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp.durum (Desf.) Husn.) cultivation [1,2]. Durum wheat is the main crop in many regions of the peninsula [2] and in the last decades, its cultivation expanded from the “typical” Southern Italian areas to Central and Northern parts of the country. Italian durum wheat is mainly used for pasta production. In 2014, Italy was the country with the highest pasta production and consumption worldwide, with about 3.4 million tons and 25 kg per capita, respectively [3]. For these reasons, durum wheat plays a key role in the Italian and European agri-food compartment. The fungal community colonizing durum wheat grains mainly consists of mycotoxigenic genera, principally

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion