Evaluation of resistance to Fusarium graminearum in oats

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a serious threat for the production of high-quality oats, a crop known for its health beneficial traits. The fungal pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, which is the main causal agent of FHB in cereals has become more common in the main oat production areas. FHB reduces yield quality due to the accumulation of several mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol. Strong environmental dependence of infection and variable causal agents make FHB only partly controllable by agricultural or manufacturing practices. This underlines the need for resistant cultivars. In recent years various improvements in the FHB resistance breeding of oats have been reported including improved inoculation and screening methods as well as resistance and association studies. This review demonstrates the current techniques used in the phenotyping of oats resistance to FHB. Resistance found in breeding material and gene bank accessions is described and several resistance related traits are discussed. In addition, an outlook to the future prospects of FHB resistance breeding in oats is provided.