THE NIVALENOL-PRODUCING FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM GENOTYPE IN SCABBY NORTH CAROLINA WHEAT SPIKES

摘要

Fusarium head blight (or scab), which in the U.S. is caused primarily by F. graminearum, leads to drastic decreases in yield and test weight of small grains. In addition, Fusarium mycotoxins in grain heads can render the crop unsuitable for human or animal consumption. In livestock, scabby grain can lead to feed refusal and/or poor weight gain. Although this fungus produces various mycotoxins, the most important ones in small grains are deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV). Both can cause severetoxicoses in humans and livestock; compared to DON, NIV has greater mammalian toxicity. While DON is the dominant wheat scab toxin in most of the U.S., a high proportion of Fusarium isolates from southern Louisiana wheat had been found by other researchers to be NIV producers. Although a 2006 wheat survey detected about 10% NIV producers in each of two NC counties, the distribution of NIV strains across the state was unknown. DON contamination is often measured in North Carolina grain crops, but NIV isnot.