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SESSION 4: GENETICS OF HOSTS – PLANT RESISTANCE TO FUSARIUM,
VARIETY DEVELOPMENT
P96 - Oat resistance to HT2 and T2-producing
Fusarium langsethiae
T. Stancic 1 , S. Cowan 2 , C. Howarth 2 , S. Edwards 1
1 Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB, UK - 2 IBERS, Aberystwyth University,
Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB
E-mail: tstancic@harper-adams.ac.uk
Fusarium langsethiae, a species which was first described in 2004, is known to be
the predominant mycotoxin producing species on oats (Avena sativa L.) in the UK
and results in contamination of the grain with the trichothecene mycotoxins HT2
and T2. The European Commission is setting indicative limits for the combined
concentration of HT2 and T2 (HT2+T2) in food and feed. In observational studies
across the UK between 2002 and 2008 around 16% of samples collected at
harvest exceeded the proposed investigative limit of 1000 µg/kg HT2+T2 for
unprocessed oats intended for human consumption. Winter variety trials tended to
have higher levels of HT2+T2 compared to spring variety trials. It is not clear
whether the difference observed is due to agronomic (i.e. drilling date) or genetic
differences.
To test the hypothesis that the difference observed were not due to agronomy, six
spring and six winter varieties were drilled together in randomised block
experiments at three sites in the UK in autumn 2011 and in spring 2012. Samples
of panicles and grain samples are currently being quantified for HT2 and T2.
To test the hypothesis of whether crop height is a resistance trait, samples of
panicles were collected from a field trial run by Aberystwyth University of a
mapping population developed from a cross between short and tall winter oat
varieties (Buffalo and Tardis). Samples are currently being analysed for F.
langsethiae DNA and HT2+T2 concentration. Preliminary results indicate that
taller lines had a consistently low level of HT2+T2 whereas shorter lines had
either a high or a low level of HT2+T2. The Buffalo x Tardis mapping population
will be used for the identification of QTL for susceptibility and to determine genetic
linkage with other agronomic traits such as height.
Keywords: Fusarium langsethiae, HT2, T2, oat
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