Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat and Gibberella ear and stalk rot (GER and GSR) of maize are diseases of worldwide importance. Several phylogenetic species belonging to the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) cause FHB and GER/GSR in Brazil, but the dominant species varies depending on host. Fusarium graminearum is the most frequent cause of FHB, while F. meridionale is more often associated with GER/GSR. These two species are distinguished based on fixed sequence variations at a few genetic loci; however, relevance of these differences to reproduction, pathogenicity and toxigenicity has not been fully explored. A range of phenotypic traits were evaluated for a group of strains of F. graminearum and F. meridionale from wheat and maize. These included radial growth on agar plates, sexual and asexual reproduction, fungicide sensitivity, toxigenicity and pathogenicity on wheat and maize. Although intraspecies variation was observed for most traits, a multivariate analysis showed the strains were strongly structured by species, regardless of host origin. Increased sexual or asexual reproduction, deoxynivalenol production and aggressiveness on wheat heads were most important for distinguishing strains of F. graminearum, while faster mycelial growth in culture, nivalenol production and reduced colonization on detached maize silks were most important for distinguishing strains of F. meridionale. Thus, the phylogenetic distinction between F. graminearum and F. meridionale is supported by phenotypic differences that are relevant for pathogenicity (aggressiveness and mycotoxin production on wheat heads and maize silks, mycelial growth and sexual and asexual reproduction) and disease management (tebuconazole sensitivity).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1111-1121 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Plant Pathology |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 British Society for Plant Pathology.
Funding
The authors thank the CNPq‐Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico for providing a graduate scholarship to F.J.M. and research scholarship to E.M.D.P., and CAPES‐Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior for providing a graduate scholarship to A.V.B. and sandwich fellowship to F.J.M. The authors thank Etta Nuckles for excellent technical assistance. This work was partially supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Multistate Project 1008664, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Program under 1014371, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement no. 59‐0206‐0‐062. This is a cooperative project with the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Agriculture | 1008664 |
| US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative | 59‐0206‐0‐062, 1014371 |
| Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior | |
| Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico |
Keywords
- Fusarium head blight
- Gibberella ear rot
- Gibberella stalk rot
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Plant Science
- Horticulture