Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat,
caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum,
leads to grain contamination with mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON).
Although FHB intensity is often positively correlated with DON, this
relationship is quite variable and breaks down under certain conditions. One
possible explanation for this could be the conversion of DON to DON-3-glucoside (D3G), a masked form of the toxin that
is often missed by common DON testing methods. The objective of this study was
to quantify the effects of temperature (20, 25, and 30oC), relative
humidity (RH, 70, 80, 90, and 100%), and pre-harvest rainfall patterns (continuous
[Rain1], intermittent, or no supplemental rainfall [check]) on DON, D3G, and
their relationship in grain from wheat spikes with different levels of FHB
index (IND). D3G levels were higher in grain from spikes exposed to 100% RH
than to 70, 80, or 90% RH at 20 and 25oC across all tested IND
levels. Mean D3G was highest at 20oC. There were significant
positive linear relationships between DON and D3G. Rainfall resulted in
significantly higher mean D3G than the rain-free check. All rainfall treatments
induced pre-harvest sprouting, as indicated by low falling numbers (FN), with Rain1
having the lowest mean FN. There were significant positive relationships
between the rate of increase in D3G per unit increase in DON (a measure of conversion)
and sprouting. As FN decreased, the rate of D3G conversion increased, and this
rate of conversion per unit decrease in FN was greater at low than at high mean
DON levels. These results provide strong evidence that moisture after FHB
visual symptom development influenced DON-to-D3G conversion. To our knowledge,
this study was the first to: 1) associate cooler, humid conditions with high
levels of D3G contamination of wheat grain, 2) quantify associations among
rainfall after visual FHB symptom development, D3G, DON, DON-to-D3G conversion,
and pre-harvest sprouting across different baseline IND levels, and 3) model
D3G contamination of grain as a function of DON and FN. These constitute
valuable new information for understanding this complex disease-toxin system.