Effect of Environmental Factors on Fusarium Species and Associated Mycotoxins in Maize Grain Grown in Poland

PLoS One. 2015 Jul 30;10(7):e0133644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133644. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Maize is one of the most important crops and Poland is the fifth largest producing country in Europe. Diseases caused by Fusarium spp. can affect the yield and grain quality of maize because of contamination with numerous mycotoxins produced by these fungi. The present study was performed to identify the prevailing Fusarium species and the environmental factors affecting their frequencies and the contamination of grain with the main mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZON) and fumonisin B1 (FB1). Thirty kernel samples were collected in three locations in 2011 and in seven locations in 2012 from three hybrids. On average, 25.24% kernels were colonized by Fusarium spp. (424 strains were isolated). Fusarium verticillioides and F. temperatum were the most prevalent species, F. subglutinans, F. proliferatum and F. graminearum were in minor abundance. In total, 272 isolates of F. verticillioides and 81 isolates of F. temperatum were identified. Fusarium temperatum frequency ranged from 1.70% to 28.57% and differences between locations were significant. Fumonisin B1 was found in all tested samples. DON was found in 66.67% and ZON in 43.33% of samples. Rainfall amount positively affected F. temperatum and F. subglutinans frequency in opposite to mean temperatures in July. On the other hand, relationships between frequency of these species and historical data from 1950-2000 for annual temperature range were negative in contrast to the coldest quarter temperatures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Crops, Agricultural / growth & development
  • Crops, Agricultural / microbiology
  • Edible Grain / microbiology
  • Environment
  • Europe
  • Food Contamination
  • Fumonisins / adverse effects
  • Fungi / isolation & purification
  • Fusariosis / microbiology
  • Fusarium / isolation & purification*
  • Mycotoxins / adverse effects*
  • Poland
  • Temperature
  • Trichothecenes / adverse effects
  • Zea mays / growth & development*
  • Zea mays / microbiology*
  • Zearalenone / adverse effects

Substances

  • Fumonisins
  • Mycotoxins
  • Trichothecenes
  • fumonisin B1
  • Zearalenone
  • deoxynivalenol

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (project HORzg 8421/1 “Plant improvement for sustainable agroecosystems, high-quality food and crop production for non-food purposes) and Statutory fund of the Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.