Abstract
A total of 122 wheat varieties obtained from the Nordic Genetic Resource Center were infected artificially with an aggressive Fusariumasiaticum strain in a field experiment. We calculated the severity of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and determined the deoxynivalenol (DON) content of wheat grain, straw and glumes. We found DON contamination levels to be highest in the glumes, intermediate in the straw, and lowest in the grain in most samples. The DON contamination levels did not increase consistently with increased FHB incidence. The DON levels in the wheat varieties with high FHB resistance were not necessarily low, and those in the wheat varieties with high FHB sensitivity were not necessarily high. We selected 50 wheat genotypes with reduced DON content for future research. This study will be helpful in breeding new wheat varieties with low levels of DON accumulation.
Highlights
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease that affects numerous small grain species [1,2,3,4].This disease is caused by members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex, which consists of at least 16 phylogenetically distinct species [5]
We found a large range of genetic variation among the varieties in the severity of FHB infection
Resistance to FHB can be characterized as consisting of two components: resistance to initial penetration and resistance to pathogen spread in the host tissue [22]
Summary
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease that affects numerous small grain species [1,2,3,4]. K. Seeling et al demonstrated that feeding animals with wheat and wheat chaff contaminated with the Fusarium toxins DON and zearalenone (ZON) caused slight changes in ruminal nutrient degradability and in rumen physiological parameters, probably due to fungus-related modifications of the grain [15]. The development of FHB-resistant cultivars has been effective in reducing damage caused by the disease, resistance to FHB is affected by the relationship between symptom intensity and toxin production [16,17,18]. Understanding the relationship between FHB and DON accumulation could be important in predicting the risks of mycotoxins in food, and may aid in the development of a more reliable and rational strategy for managing the FHB disease complex and reducing DON production. Our results mayfacilitate the selection of varieties used for animal feed
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