Impact of fusarium head blight epidemics on the mycotoxins’ accumulation in winter wheat grains

Abstract

Fusarium graminearum (Fusarium Head Blight - FHB) is a dangerous pathogen of the cereals producing mycotoxins harmful for human
and animal health. The quality of the wheat grains is severely affected in the years with FHB epidemics due to the high mycotoxins level
that can overpass maximum allowable concentrations, with implications for food safety. The purpose of the work was to investigate
some variables involved in the contamination of the wheat grains with several harmful mycotoxins (DON, ZON and T-2) in conditions of
FHB natural infection in an epidemic year. The main finding of the results highlighted that the low ears densities of wheat crop canopy
determinate high FHB attack frequency, too. Climate conditions from May 2019 were very favourable for the evolution of FHB epidemics
in western Romania. This fact was confirmed by the experimental results of FHB attack, and later by the concentrations of mycotoxins
(DON) over the maximum allowable concentrations from the wheat grains at the harvesting moment. The overpass of DON concentration
was found in 15 from the total 16 wheat varieties from the experiment. Positive significant correlations were found between DON and
T-2 and between DON and fungus attack intensity. According with the results, in FHB epidemic year some of the most influential factors
in the contamination of the wheat grains with DON, ZON and T-2 in the order of their importance are: ears density, frequency of the
attack on ear, number of diseased ears and attack intensity on ears