Fusarium verticillioides Infection, Fumonisin Contamination and Resistance Evaluation in North Carolina Maize.
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2001-07-20
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Abstract
Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contamination are serious problems for North Carolina maize growers. With the discovery of fumonisin toxicity to animals and humans, and the finding that no maize genotypes are resistant to Fusarium verticillioides infection or fumonisin contamination, management strategies for limiting fungal and toxin contamination of harvested grain are necessary. Maize ears were harvested weekly for 14 or 15 weeks after pollination and assayed for percent kernel infection and fumonisin contamination. Kernel infection and fumonisin contamination occurred before kernel maturity and increased throughout the season, with kernel infection peaking 7 to 10 weeks after pollination. Data from this experiment and data from grower's fields indicate that early harvest is necessary to limit rotten kernels and fumonisin in harvested grain.Difficulty in identifying resistant genotypes has limited the development of more resistant hybrids. Many inoculation techniques have been employed to reproduce Fusarium ear rot with marginal results, primarily because differentially resistant and susceptible hybrids were not used to identify promising inoculation techniques. In my study, ears were treated with different inoculation techniques to reproduce ear rot and fumonisin contamination in hybrids of known resistance to Fusarium ear rot. Two inoculation techniques, Pinbar and Silk Channel, were able to separate hybrids on visible ear rot and fumonisin contamination. Addition of inoculum to ears appears important for screening hybrids for resistance to Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contamination.
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Degree
MS
Discipline
Plant Pathology
