Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
F
USARIUM
H
EAD
B
LIGHT AND
DON
C
ONTAMINATION
M
ANAGEMENT IN
S
OFT
AND
D
URUM
W
HEAT
C
ULTIVATION
Andrea Maiorano
*
, Massimo Blandino and Amedeo Reyneri
Department of Agronomy, Forest and Land Management, University of Turin,
via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy
A
BSTRACT
Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), also known as scab, is a devastating disease of
enormous economic importance throughout the world that attacks all classes of barley
and wheat. Every year, all of the most important cereal producers in the world are
affected by this disease.
Fusarium graminearum
and
Fusarium culmorum
are considered
the most pathogenic and widespread agents of FHB in wheat. Both
F. graminearum
and
F. culmorum
produce deoxynivalenol (DON, also known as vomitoxin), a mycotoxin of
the trichotecenes group, one of the most widespread mycotoxins in cereals, which can be
synthesised in the field in small grain cereals and in maize. This mycotoxin has a great
impact on the health of animals and humans, due to their cytotoxic activity and
immunosuppressive effects. As a consequence, FHB and DON contamination are
responsible for serious direct and indirect economic losses. Economic losses can be
attributed to yeld loss due to fungal disease, reduced technological and nutritional quality
of grain, reduced crop value due to mycotoxin contamination, reduced animal
productivity, human health costs. Prevention, monitoring, sampling, chemical analysis,
litigation, mitigation, and research costs also need to be taken into account. Moreover,
FHB and DON limits, which have been established in many parts of the world for animal
feeding and human consumption, have made the worldwide cereal market much more
selective.
F. graminearum
and F. culmorum inoculum is usually abundant and its production,
dispersal and deposition are influenced by weather conditions. Warm, humid weather,
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