Relative Efficacy of Fusamotoxins on Young Maize Plants

Abstract

Impact of fusariotoxins mixture (moniliformin, fiimonisin B1, fusaproliferin, zearalenone, zearalenol and deoxynivalenol, each at concentration 35 μg·mL−1) on maize plants of resistant (Lucia) and susceptible (Pavla) cultivars was studied. After 72 hours of root exposure to the fiisariotoxins the biomass production with both cultivars was approximately 6% lower than in the respective controls. In the resistant cultivar, chlorophyll content was higher comparing to control, with greater increase in chlorophyll b. In the susceptible cultivar, chlorophyll content was slightly decreased, particularly with chlorophyll b. In toxins treated plants, the young root cells were more vacuolated and plasmolysis occurred in the cells of outer cortex. The cells contained numerous osmiophilic globules in periplasmic space associated with plasmodesmata and plasma membrane, and within cytoplasm associated with membranes of ER, plastids, and tonoplast. In the leaves of the susceptible cultivar also disorganization of thylakoids in some chloroplasts was observed when treated by fiisariotoxins mixture.