Susceptibility of winter and spring triticales to fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol accumulation

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum (Schwabe), is one of the most destructive diseases in cereals worldwide. It may severely reduce both grain yield and quality, with potential contamination from trichothecene mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON). Spring and winter triticales (X Triticosecale Wittmack) were evaluated in a multi site and year field study to determine their susceptibility to FHB and DON accumulation. Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) and DON levels were affected significantly by both cultivar and site-year. Triticales were generally more susceptible to FHB compared with winter and spring wheat checks, as indicated by the higher levels of FDK and DON levels. A significantly positive linear relationship was observed between FDK and DON levels in winter triticales. This relationship in spring triticales was not significant on the combined data, but at each site-year, the regression was strong. FDK can be a good predictor of DON levels when environmental conditions are similar. The Atlantic region would appear to be a very good location in Canada for screening for fusarium head blight resistance. Key words: Winter triticale, spring triticale, cultivar; fusarium head blight, fusarium head blight, fusarium-damaged kernels, deoxynivalenol