Fusarium head blight and mycotoxins in small grain cereals

Fusarium species cause head blight or scab in cereals. This disease is not just feared as a cause of crop losses but as the fungi make various diverse mycotoxins which contaminate the grain. At least 30 species have been recorded in cereals worldwide and we have recorded nine species in the field in Danish small grain cereals,  and we have measured the occurrence of  five mycotoxins. The emphasis in our studies is to understand the genetic regulation and the physiological conditions that stimulate the fungus to produce mycotoxins.  Thus we have seen that  elevated temperature, reduced nitrogen and drought can make the plants more susceptible to infection resulting in increased mycotoxin levels.

 

Selected publications:
Nielsen LK, Jensen JD, Nielsen GC, Jensen JE, Spliid NH, Thomsen IK, Justesen AF, Collinge DB, Jørgensen LN (2011) Fusarium Head Blight of Cereals in Denmark: Species Complex and Related Mycotoxins. Phytopathology 101:960-969 DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-07-10-0188

 

Jensen JD, Hemzalova V, Frenck G, Jørgensen RB, Strobel BW, Collinge DB, Jørgensen HJL, Lyngkjær MF. Sammenhæng mellem klimaændringer og angreb af Fusarium. Plantekongres 2010, 390-391. 2010. www.plantekongres.dk.

Yang F, Jensen JD, Spliid NH, Svensson B, Jacobsen S, Jørgensen LN, Jørgensen HJL, Collinge DB & Finnie C (2010). Proteomic investigation of the effect of nitrogen on severity of Fusarium head blight in barley. J.Proteomics 73: 743-752. doi:10.1016/j.jprot.2009.10.010

 

Yang F, Jensen JD, Svensson B, Jørgensen HJL, Collinge DB, Finnie C (2010) Analysis of early events in the interaction between Fusarium graminearum  and the susceptible barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivar Scarlett. Proteomics 10: 3748-3755. doi:10.1002/pmic.201000243