Abstract
The quality of grain products from organic agriculture is an important subject of research for food safety and consumer health. The aim of the study was to examine the grain of spring wheat from organic agriculture according to their infestation by Fusarium spp., mycotoxin content, and technological value for milling and baking processing. The material was grain of 13 spring wheat varieties cultivated in organic systems in 3 years. The results showed that the intensity of Fusarium head blight (FHB) was low and ranged from 0.0% to 5.5% of ears. Grain infestation by Fusarium spp. varied between varieties and years from 1.5% to 18.5%. The colonization of grains by Fusarium spp. did not reflect the intensity of FHB. The lowest grain infestation by Fusarium spp. was noted for the varieties: Waluta, Zadra, and Arabella. Mycotoxin contamination of the grain of tested varieties did not exceed accepted standards. The requirements of the milling and baking industries were generally met by grain and flour of all the tested varieties. On the basis of the 3 year study results related to food safety and processing properties, the varieties most useful for organic production are Arabella, followed by Brawura, Izera, Kandela, Katoda, KWS Torridon, Waluta, and Zadra.
Highlights
Spring wheat is a popular crop in both conventional and organic farms, as it is an important consumer cereal in Europe [1,2]
The presented study is in line with the current trends in the greening of agriculture and the organic agriculture development according to the recent European Union strategies, such as the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, and the European Biodiversity
Strategy for 2030, which aim to increase the share of organic farming to 25% area of agricultural land in Europe by 2030
Summary
Spring wheat is a popular crop in both conventional and organic farms, as it is an important consumer cereal in Europe [1,2]. In organic agriculture, the choice of proper variety is of great importance because it influences the yield [3,4,5,6,7] and quality of grain [8,9]. Spring wheat varieties vary according to their agricultural traits (morphological features, yielding potential, resistance to disease and pests, weed suppression ability) and technological parameters [5,6,10,11,12,13]. The common wheat pathogens in organic farming are fungi of the genus Fusarium. Some of them, such as Fusarium rot pre- and post-emergence, Fusarium foot rot, and Fusarium leaf blight can lead to a significant drop in yields, while Fusarium head blight (FHB) and grain infestation by Fusarium spp. Some of them, such as Fusarium rot pre- and post-emergence, Fusarium foot rot, and Fusarium leaf blight can lead to a significant drop in yields, while Fusarium head blight (FHB) and grain infestation by Fusarium spp. (Fusarium disease kernels—FDK) may contribute to a decrease in yields [14]
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