Fusarium cerealis causing Fusarium head blight of durum wheat and its associated mycotoxins

Abstract

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a very important fungal disease that affects small grain cereals worldwide. This disease not only causes yield loses but also crops contamination with mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV). Species within the Fusarium graminearum species complex have been described as the main causal agents of this disease, however lately there have been few reports of Fusarium cerealis causing the disease in wheat and barley in different parts of the world. This study evaluated the aggressiveness of F. cerealis to durum wheat cultivars and also mycotoxin production in planta. Moreover, the mycotoxin profile of F. cerealis strains was characterized molecularly and chemically. All durum wheat cultivars showed typical FHB symptoms but the disease severity varied among them in levels up to 66%. In addition, seventeen different compounds were detected in the infected heads including DON, NIV and nivalenol-3-β-D-glucose (NIV3G). NIV was detected in all cultivars and was the most produced mycotoxin with levels ranging from 1.04 to 6.8 mg/kg. On the other hand, the molecular analysis of F. cerealis strains showed that all of them possessed NIV genotype while the chemical assessment showed that the strains were able to produce not only this toxin in vitro but also DON, zearalenone and other twenty-one secondary metabolites. The increasing incidence of F. cerealis and the possible contamination of crops with the mycotoxins that it produces are of great concern for food security and world cereal trade since it has been reported that NIV is more toxic for humans and animals than DON.