Breeding for resistance to ear rots caused by Fusarium spp. in maize – a review

Abstract

Ear rots caused by different Fusarium spp. are one of the most dangerous food and feed safety challenges in maize production. At present, the majority of the inbreds and hybrids are susceptible. Gibberella and Fusarium ear rots (caused by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium verticillioides, respectively) are the two main diseases, but more than 10 further Fusarium spp. cause ear rots. Natural infection is initiated by a mixture of the local Fusarium spp

Research Article Selection of maize inbred lines and gene expression for resistance to ear rot.

“…It was expected that the genes analyzed would be expressed differently in the inbred lines of the same classification since resistance to ear rot caused by F. verticillioides and other fungi of the ear rot complex is a characteristic of polygenic inheritance with complex genetic control (Mesterházy et al, 2012).…”

Respuesta del maíz nativo del Altiplano mexicano a pudrición de mazorca, bajo infección natural.

“…En diversos países, se han encontrado una gran diversidad de especies de Fusarium infectando mazorcas y granos de maíz (Mesterházy et al, 2012), y también en México se ha documentado la diversidad de especies de Fusarium en poblaciones nativas de maíz (Morales-Rodríguez et al, 2007;García-Aguirre y Martínez-Flores, 2010); este hecho se asume como interacciones coevolutivas de Fusarium y poblaciones de maíz nativo debido a la siembra continua de maíz en las parcelas infestadas. Este tipo de interacciones Fusarium-maíz se ha documentado en otros trabajos (Oren et al, 2003;Desjardins et al, 2007).…”

Mycotoxins that affect the North American agri-food sector: state of the art and directions for the future

“…These accumulated in germplasm developed for the maize belt over time (Groth et al, 2011). Good progress has recently been obtained using phenotype selection (in FHB nurseries) combined with molecular-assisted breeding (Mesterhazy et al, 2012).…”

“…Although resistance to common smut is not typically a high priority in maize hybrid development, it may be advisable to raise the level of effort in order to contribute to mycotoxin management. Some maize inbreds selected for resistance to Fusarium diseases also show elevated resistance to common smut (Mesterhazy et al, 2012).…”

“…Some of these inbreds have resistance to multiple diseases (Reid et al, 2009). The availability of these inbreds has allowed researchers to explore QTLs, underlying mechanisms and inheritance of resistance (Mesterhazy et al, 2012).…”