Fusarium-Damaged Kernels and Deoxynivalenol in Fusarium-Infected U.S. Winter Wheat

Abstract

. 2014. Fusarium-damaged kernels and deoxynivalenol in Fusarium-infected U.S. winter wheat. Phytopathology 104:472-478.Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease that threatens wheat (Triticum aestivum) production in many areas worldwide. FHB infection results in Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) and deoxynivalenol (DON) that dramatically reduce grain yield and quality. More effective and accurate disease evaluation methods are imperative for successful identification of FHB-resistant sources and selection of resistant cultivars. To determine the relationships among different types of resistance, 363 (74 soft and 289 hard) U.S. winter wheat accessions were repeatedly evaluated for FDK and DON concentration in greenhouse and field experiments. Single-kernel near-infrared (SKNIR)-estimated FDK and DON were compared with visually estimated FDK and gas chromatographymass spectroscopy-estimated DON. Significant correlations were detected between percentage of symptomatic spikelets and visual FDK in the greenhouse and field, although correlations were slightly lower in the field. High correlation coefficients also were observed between visually scored FDK and SKNIR-estimated FDK (0.72, P < 0.001) and SKNIRestimated DON (0.68, P < 0.001); therefore, both visual scoring and SKNIR methods are useful for estimating FDK and DON in breeding programs.Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of wheat worldwide. In the United States, Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (teleomorph = Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch) is the prevailing species responsible for FHB (4). FHB causes significant reductions in both grain yield and quality through Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) and mycotoxins, especially deoxynivalenol (DON), produced in harvested grain infected by the pathogen (4). DON contamination is a serious health concern to humans and livestock. Maximum allowable DON concentration in wheat grain for human consumption ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/kg depending on the country (4,23); therefore, in the regions where FHB epidemics are frequent and severe, FHB threatens wheat production.Fusarium infection results in FDK: whitish, shrived kernels or tombstones that not only reduce kernel weight but also damage the protein quality. Wheat FDK are contaminated with DON in most FHB epidemic regions (4,14). Resistant cultivars usually have reduced DON concentrations (type III resistance) and fewer FDK (type IV resistance) than susceptible cultivars after infection (15). To date, these two types of resistance have not been systematically characterized in U.S. winter wheat. Some reports have suggested that FHB severity and FDK could predict DON concentration but the conclusions on the relationships among these three measurements of FHB remain equivocal (3,10,12,19,25).Although a worldwide effort has been made to identify FHBresistant germplasm (4), only Sumai 3 and its derivatives have been identified as having a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) (Fhb1) for type II resistance (FHB spread within a spike); this QTL has the greatest an...

Common resistance to Fusarium head blight in Brazilian wheat cultivars

“…Agric. v.75, n.5, p.426-431, September/October 2018 component of the breeding selection criteria (Arseniuk et al, 1999;Ji et al, 2015;Jin et al, 2014;Schlang and Duveiller, 2012). To overcome the high costs associated with mycotoxin analysis, assessments of FDK, in addition to being a more affordable method, usually correlate more strongly with mycotoxin levels than visual assessment of the wheat spikes, and could be used as a surrogate variable to select for resistance to mycotoxin (Mesterházy et al, 2005;Sneller et al, 2012).…”

The Application of Computer Image Analysis Based on Textural Features for the Identification of Barley Kernels Infected with Fungi of the Genus Fusarium

“…Fungal infections occur on the outer surface of kernels and spread to the inside, causing changes in color, shape and chemical properties (Symons et al, 2002;Arabi et al, 2012;Jin et al, 2014). Grain infections caused by fungi of the genus Fusarium (FHB) can compromise the quantity and quality of yields (Suproniene et al, 2016) and lead to economic losses (Hossain and Goto, 2015).…”

Whitened kernel surface: A fast and reliable method for assessing Fusarium severity on cereal grains by digital picture analysis

“…Near‐infrared spectroscopic (NIR) measurement performed on single kernels was strongly correlated with DON content ( r = 0.87, Peiris et al, ). However, the correlation with the DON content was severely reduced when this method was applied on kernel sets ( r = 0.46), although the correlation with FDK remained high ( r = 0.72, Jin et al, ). In previous RGB analyses, where RGB parameters were considered globally on the image, the correlation between DON content and digital notations was only moderate ( r = 0.35, Jirsa & Polišenská, ).…”

“…Alternative systems for assessing DON content using optical methods are available and have been reviewed by Saccon, Parcey, Paliwal, and Sherif (2017). Commonly used techniques include fluorescence, visible and infrared spectroscopy (Jin et al, 2014;Peiris et al, 2010), or multispectral and hyperspectral imaging (Barbedo, Tibola, & Fernandes, 2015). Most of these techniques require sophisticated equipment, difficult calibration steps and significant investment and are therefore rarely implemented in breeding programmes.…”