Fitness of three chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum species complex in major winter wheat-producing areas of China

Yang-Yang Liu; Han-Yan Sun; Wei Li; Yun-Lei Xia; Yuan-Yu Deng; Ai-Xiang Zhang; Huai-Gu Chen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174040

Fitness of three chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum species complex in major winter wheat-producing areas of China

PLoS One. 2017 Mar 17;12(3):e0174040. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174040. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Yang-Yang Liu¹, Han-Yan Sun¹, Wei Li¹, Yun-Lei Xia^{1

2}, Yuan-Yu Deng¹, Ai-Xiang Zhang¹, Huai-Gu Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China.
² Institute of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

In China, Fusarium head blight is caused mainly by the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), which produces trichothecene toxins. The FGSC is divided into three chemotypes: 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), and nivalenol (NIV). In order to predict the geographical changes in the distribution of these chemotype populations in major winter wheat-producing areas in China, the biological characteristics of twenty randomly selected isolates from each of the three chemotypes were studied. No significant difference was exhibited in the growth rate of 3-ADON, 15-ADON, and NIV isolates at 15°C. At 20°C and 25°C, the growth rate of 15-ADON isolates was the highest. At 30°C, the growth rate of NIV and 3-ADON isolates was significantly higher than that of 15-ADON isolates. The 15-ADON isolates produced the highest quantities of perithecia and two to three days earlier than the other two populations at each temperature, and released more ascospores at 18°C. The aggressiveness test on wheat seedlings and ears indicated there was no significant difference between the 3-ADON and 15-ADON isolates. However, the aggressiveness of NIV isolates was significantly lower than that of the 3-ADON and 15-ADON isolates. The DON content in grains from heads inoculated with the 3-ADON isolates was higher than the content of 15-ADON and NIV isolates. The results showed that 15-ADON population had the advantage in perithecia formation and ascospore release, and the 3-ADON population produced more DON in wheat grains. We suggested that distribution of these three chemotype populations may be related to these biological characteristics.

MeSH terms

China
Fusarium / genetics*
Fusarium / growth & development
Fusarium / physiology*
Triticum / growth & development*
Triticum / microbiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Non-Profit Industry-Funded Research and Special Projects (201303016), by funds earmarked for the China Agricultural Research System (CARS-3-1-17), by the Science and Technology Support Project of Jiangsu Province (BE2013432), and by Jiangsu Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Fund (CX(15)1001). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.