Use of Competitive Filamentous Fungi as an Alternative Approach for Mycotoxin Risk Reduction in Staple Cereals: State of Art and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Among plant fungal diseases, those affecting cereals represent a huge problem in terms of food security and safety. Cereals, such as maize and wheat, are very often targets of mycotoxigenic fungi. The limited availability of chemical plant protection products and physical methods to control mycotoxigenic fungi and to reduce food and feed mycotoxin contamination fosters alternative approaches, such as the use of beneficial fungi as an active ingredient of biological control products. Competitive interactions, including both exploitation and interference competition, between pathogenic and beneficial fungi, are generally recognized as mechanisms to control plant pathogens populations and to manage plant diseases. In the present review, two examples concerning the use of competitive beneficial filamentous fungi for the management of cereal diseases are discussed. The authors retrace the history of the well-established use of non-aflatoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus to prevent aflatoxin contamination in maize and give an overview of the potential use of competitive beneficial filamentous fungi to manage Fusarium Head Blight on wheat and mitigate fusaria toxin contamination. Although important steps have been made towards the development of microorganisms as active ingredients of plant protection products, a reasoned revision of the registration rules is needed to significantly reduce the chemical based plant protection products in agriculture.

Combined Comparative Genomics and Gene Expression Analyses Provide Insights into the Terpene Synthases Inventory in Trichoderma

“…In T. arundinaceum , tri gene expression is affected when grown in dual cultures with B. cinerea , while polyketides and harzianum A (HA) produced by the first induce changes in some B. cinerea genes linked to its virulence [ 23 ]. Since T. gamsii T6085 is able to suppress F. graminearum on wheat spikes and to reduce DON production by the pathogen [ 31 , 32 , 34 , 35 ], we investigated whether a differential expression of TS genes of T. gamsii T6085 occurs when the fungus interacts with F. graminearum on wheat spikes. However, our results show that the presence of the pathogen did not induce prominent changes in TS expression in T. gamsii T6085 when both fungi were on wheat spikes, although ts11 was found slightly up-regulated.…”

“…During the past 10 years, T. gamsii T6085 has been evaluated as BCA against Fusarium graminearum , the most aggressive causal agent of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) on wheat. T6085 is able to reduce the growth of the pathogen as well as the production of deoxynivalenol (DON) [ 31 , 32 ], growing in the presence of high DON concentrations (50 ppm) and reducing FHB symptoms and the development of F. graminearum perithecia on wheat straw [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. In addition, the fungus establishes a beneficial interaction with wheat roots, behaving as an endophyte and inducing the plant defense responses [ 36 ].…”

Aflatoxin Detoxification Using Microorganisms and Enzymes

“…Competitive interactions between pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms include both exploitation and interference competition [ 89 ]. When Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus are co-cultured with Salmonella, the colony diameter and spore formation of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus are decreased, and the contents of AFs (AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 , and AFG 2 ) are reduced [ 86 ].…”

Possibilities for the Biological Control of Mycotoxins in Food and Feed

“…Sarrocco and Vannacci [ 27 ] described useful preharvest application of beneficial fungi in field, which afterwards resulted in a good management and prevention of accumulation of mycotoxins during storage. Later, Sarrocco et al [ 31 ] examined the history of implementation of non-aflatoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus aimed for prevention of aflatoxin contamination of corn and also provided an overview of the prospective usage of competitive filamentous fungi beneficial in counteracting Fusarium head blight in wheat and alleviating Fusaria toxin synthesis. Their analysis focused on the exploitation of fungi that could compete for nutrients and space (competitive exploitation) and/or fight pathogens (intervening competition).…”