Diversity in the population of Fusarium graminearum isolated from wheat and corn in Alberta, Canada.

A survey was conducted in southern Alberta, Canada, to collect Fusarium stalk rot and Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease samples from corn and wheat fields, respectively, with an aim to understand the diversity in the population of Fusarium graminearum. From 77 wheat and 80 corn samples, 79 isolates of F. graminearum were obtained. These 79 isolates were evaluated for their growth rate, sporulation ability, pathogenicity and trichothecene genotype. Eighty-two percent of the isolates were recovered from corn, which suggests corn residue may be better suited than wheat for perpetuating the FHB pathogen. Three genotypes with potential of producing 3-ADON, 15-ADON and NIV were present in the population, and among them, 15-ADON producing genotype was predominant, and 3-ADON genotype produced more spores than the 15-ADON genotype. The proportion of 3-ADON genotype is increasing overtime in Alberta. The impact of increasing population of 3-ADON genotype is worthy of to be monitored for the management of FHB. There were variations in the population of F. graminearum isolates for growth rate, sporulation and pathogenicity but revealed no association among the parameters suggesting other factors like host susceptibility and environment play a significant role in the development of FHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]