USWBSI Abstract Viewer

2022 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum


FHB Management (MGMT)

Poster # 113

Biocontrol of FHB: Beyond the Greenhouse

Authors & Affiliations:

Peter Oppenheimer1, Quentin Read2, Briana Whitaker3, Imane Laraba3, Susan McCormick3, Mark Busman3, and Christina Cowger1,2
1. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-76162
2. Southeast Area Statistician, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Raleigh, NC 27606
3. Plant Science Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Raleigh, NC 27695
4. USDA-ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Unit, 1815 N. University St., Peoria, IL 61604
Corresponding Author: Peter Oppenheimer, peter.oppy1020@gmail.com

Corresponding Author:

Peter Oppenheimer
peter.oppy1020@gmail.com

Abstract:

In North America, Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat is primarily caused by the hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen, Fusarium graminearum.  Management of FHB has largely focused on selecting moderately resistant wheat cultivars and the timely application of fungicides.  A biocontrol agent (BCA) that can reduce FHB would have economic value, especially for organic grain production, and could help prolong the efficacy of fungicides.  However, success has been mostly limited to greenhouse trials. F. poae, which is weakly aggressive on wheat, has previously been found to decrease deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation by more than 50% in spikes of a bread wheat cultivar when the weaker species was applied one day prior to inoculation with F. graminearum in the greenhouse (Tan et al., 2020, doi.org/10.1111/mpp.12996 We tested the ability of two prospective BCAs F. acuminatum and F. poae, to decrease visual symptoms and DON in the soft red winter wheat cultivar Shirley in both greenhouse and field trials when inoculated at the same time as F. graminearum (COI), or two days prior (PRE).  As compared to a single F. graminearum inoculation (G), the PRE treatments for both BCAs and the COI treatment for F. acuminatum decreased deoxynivalenol (DON), disease severity, and disease incidence in the field.  Results from the greenhouse were mixed. F. acuminatum and F. poae COI treatments decreased fitted DON by 29.6% and 15.2% in relation to G.  These values correspond to an 88% and 77% likelihood that mean DON estimates were less for each COI treatment in relation to the G treatment. PRE treatments showed no efficacy for reducing greenhouse DON levels, while greenhouse area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) for the PRE treatments increased with respect to G.  In conclusion, COI treatments of F. poae and F. acuminatum, and PRE treatments of F. acuminatum, were able to impede the ability of F. graminearum to produce visual symptoms and toxins in a susceptible cultivar in a field setting.  In the future, a lower concentration of F. graminearum inoculum in the greenhouse will be tested to understand the effect of FHB disease pressure on the efficacy of the BCAs.


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