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SESSION 3: PATHOGENESIS – EPIDEMIOLOGY AND POPULATION
GENETICS
P68 - Population analysis of Fusarium graminearum
sensu stricto from wheat and maize in the United
Kingdom
R. Basler 1,2 , S. Edwards 1 , J. Thomas 2
1 National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE, United Kingdom;
2 Harper Adams University, Newport, TF10 8NB, United Kingdom
E-mail: ryan.basler@niab.com
Fusarium graminearum sensu stricto (s.s) is a diverse toxigenic species that
contaminates wheat and maize in variable climates. In the United Kingdom wheat
is the major arable land crop, 1,969,000 hectares annually, and maize is an
emerging crop with an increase of 20% over six years to 146,000 ha. Maize in
the UK is primarily intended for silage and improved cultivars and changes in the
climate have contributed to increases in UK maize production. The diversity of
Fusarium species and their associated mycotoxins was determined in UK maize
with a survey of kernel and stalk samples in 2011 and 2012 from fifteen sites.
The predominant species isolated were F. culmorum (45%) and F. graminearum
s.s. (44%) in addition 12 other Fusarium species were identified at lower
frequencies. To compare the genetic architecture in F. graminearum s.s. in UK
maize and wheat eighty-two samples of UK wheat kernels were screened for F.
graminearum s.s. in 2012. The species diversity and toxigenicity between maize
and wheat are being analysed with mini-, variable number tandem repeats, and
micro-satellite markers. Presently the molecular phenotyping of the isolates
indicates regional characteristics associated with nivalenol producing isolates of
maize F. graminearum s.s. to be in the south and south eastern maize growing
regions of the UK.
Keywords: Fusarium graminearum, nivalenol
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