Contamination of durum wheat lines kernels with Fusarium species and deoxynivalenol

Abstract

Fusarium infection and deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in seven durum wheat lines kernel (six domestic durum lines ZP 16, ZP 34, ZP 41, ZP 74, ZP 120, ZP DSP 66, and one international durum line Cimmyt 7817) during two harvest seasons (2015–2016) has been studied. The four Fusarium species, F. graminearum, F. proliferatum, F. sporotrichioides, and F. verticillioides, were identified in 2015. A different structure of the Fusarium population, which in addition to F. graminearum, F. sporotrichioides and F. verticillioides, also comprised F. poae, F. semitectum, and F. subglutinans, was identified in 2016. F. graminearum was the predominant species in the durum wheat lines kernels and the potential producer of DON. The other Fusarium spp. were isolated sporadically and with a low incidence in the kernels. The incidence of F. graminearum and DON levels were significantly affected by the wheat genotypes and studied years and these parameters were negatively correlated. The incidence of F. graminearum was significantly higher in 2015 (75.86%) than in 2016 (63.43%), while the level of DON was significantly higher in 2016 (3.636 mg kg-1) compared to 2015 (1.126 mg kg-1). Statistically, there was a significantly higher incidence of F. graminearum in ZP DSP 66 (73.00%) and ZP 120 (72.75%) durum wheat lines than in the other durum genotypes. DON level was the highest in durum wheat line ZP 120 (3.854 mg kg-1). Considering all treatments tested, the mean DON level was 2.381 mg kg-1, while the mean incidence of F. graminearum was 69.64%. Тested durum wheat lines showed susceptibility to F. graminearum, resulting in high DON levels in kernels. The results obtained suggest the importance of using the lines with improved resistance to Fusarium head blight in the breeding programs for new durum wheat cultivars.