Different Resistance to DON versus HT2 + T2 Producers in Nordic Oat Varieties

Ingerd Skow Hofgaard; Guro Brodal; Marit Almvik; Morten Lillemo; Aina Lundon Russenes; Simon Graham Edwards; Heidi Udnes Aamot

doi:10.3390/toxins14050313

Different Resistance to DON versus HT2 + T2 Producers in Nordic Oat Varieties

Toxins (Basel). 2022 Apr 28;14(5):313. doi: 10.3390/toxins14050313.

Authors

Ingerd Skow Hofgaard¹, Guro Brodal¹, Marit Almvik¹, Morten Lillemo², Aina Lundon Russenes³, Simon Graham Edwards⁴, Heidi Udnes Aamot¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), 1431 Ås, Norway.
² Department of Plant Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1432 Ås, Norway.
³ Division of Food Production and Society, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), 1431 Ås, Norway.
⁴ Centre for Integrated Pest Management, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire TF 10 8NB, UK.

Abstract

Over recent decades, the Norwegian cereal industry has had major practical and financial challenges associated with the occurrence of Fusarium head blight (FHB) pathogens and their associated mycotoxins in cereal grains. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common Fusarium-mycotoxins in Norwegian oats, however T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 toxin (HT2) are also commonly detected. The aim of our study was to rank Nordic spring oat varieties and breeding lines by content of the most commonly occurring Fusarium mycotoxins (DON and HT2 + T2) as well as by the DNA content of their respective producers. We analyzed the content of mycotoxins and DNA of seven fungal species belonging to the FHB disease complex in grains of Nordic oat varieties and breeding lines harvested from oat field trials located in the main cereal cultivating district in South-East Norway in the years 2011-2020. Oat grains harvested from varieties with a high FHB resistance contained on average half the levels of mycotoxins compared with the most susceptible varieties, which implies that choice of variety may indeed impact on mycotoxin risk. The ranking of oat varieties according to HT2 + T2 levels corresponded with the ranking according to the DNA levels of Fusarium langsethiae, but differed from the ranking according to DON and Fusarium graminearum DNA. Separate tests are therefore necessary to determine the resistance towards HT2 + T2 and DON producers in oats. This creates practical challenges for the screening of FHB resistance in oats as today's screening focuses on resistance to F. graminearum and DON. We identified oat varieties with generally low levels of both mycotoxins and FHB pathogens which should be preferred to mitigate mycotoxin risk in Norwegian oats.

Keywords: DNA; Fusarium; Fusarium graminearum; Fusarium langsethiae; mycotoxins.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Avena / microbiology
Edible Grain / chemistry
Mycotoxins* / analysis
Plant Breeding
T-2 Toxin* / analogs & derivatives
T-2 Toxin* / analysis

Substances

Mycotoxins
T-2 Toxin
HT-2 toxin

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food as well as The Agriculture and Food Industry Research Funds-FFL/JA (Project SafeOats, grant number 254751/E50 at The Research Council of Norway) including financial support from the industry partners (Graminor AS, Lantmännen Corporate R&D, Felleskjøpet Agri SA, Felleskjøpet Rogaland Agder, Fiskå Mølle Moss AS, Strand Unikorn AS, Norgesmøllene AS and Kimen Seed Laboratory AS). Grain samples used in this study was provided from field trials for the assessment of the Value for Cultivation and Use, organized by NIBIO in collaboration with the Norwegian agricultural advisory service and financed by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.