The presence of toxigenic Fusarium species and Fusariotoxins deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in winter wheat

Abstract

The frequency of fungi and mycotoxin concentrations of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) were studied in winter wheat grains harvested in 2009. The most frequently isolated species belonged to genera Alternaria (81.55%) and Fusarium (12%), followed by Rhizopus spp. (3.75%), Acremoniella spp. (1.15%) and other fungi (Acremonium spp., Arthrinium spp., Aspergillus spp., Bipolaris spp., Chaetomium spp., Nigrospora spp., Penicillium spp. and Ramichloridium spp.) isolated in less than 1%. The following species of the genus Fusarium were identified: F. graminearum (82.50%), F. sporotrichioides (5.42%), F. proliferatum (4.17%), F. subglutinans (4.17%), F. poae (1.66%), F. semitectum (1.25%), and F. verticillioides (0.83%). In 100% of wheat grain samples DON was detected (110-1200 ?g kg-1, average 490 ?g kg-1), while ZON was detected in 10% of samples and in the lower average of 70 ?g kg-1 with the limit values ranging from 60 to 80 ?g kg-1. Statistically significant positive correlations were established between the concentration of ZON with the frequency of F. graminearum (r = 0.63) or with the frequency of Fusarium spp. (r = 0.58). A negative insignificant correlation was determined between the DON level and the percentage of present Fusarium species.