Zearalenone production by Fusarium culmorum in wheat varieties and correlation with disease severity

This study was conducted at the Dardanos Agricultural Research Station of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in 2009-2010 wheat growing season. Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium culmorum, results in yield and quality reductions and mycotoxin accumulation. The aim of the research was to evaluate the reaction of the wheat genotypes to FHB and yield lose. The mycotoxin, zearalenone (ZEA) was also quantified in infected and control wheat seeds. Twenty three wheat genotypes were employed in the research. Flowering heads were inoculated with the suspension of F. culmorum using syringe method. Disease development was measured with a rular in three occasions, the data, then, were used to calculate the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC). It was found that there was a significant difference in means of disease severity amoung the wheat genotypes. It was also determined that a thousand seed weight and ZEA were different in different genotypes following inoculation with F. culmorum. A correlation analysis exhibited that there was a positive correlation between head weight and a thousand seed weight, however, a negative correlation was found between AUDPC and head weight, and AUDPC and a thousand seed weight. ZEA accumutalion was correlated positively with AUDPC. The results suggest that wheat genotypes respond to the F. culmorum infection differently; therefore, severe infection results severe yield loss and ZEA accumulation.Keywords: Fusarium culmorum, Wheat, AUDPC, Head Weight, Thousand Kernel Weight, ZEA