First Evidence of Increased Fusarium Head Blight Symptoms in Durum Wheat Subjected to Post-Flowering Moisture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33866/phytopathol.036.02.1152Keywords:
A pot bio-experiment, Fusarium pathogens, post-anthesis moisture, Triticum durumAbstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB) impairs wheat yield and quality worldwide; and especially to durum wheat production where most durum cultivars are susceptible to FHB. Humidity has proven to largely contribute to the development processes for Fusarium pathogens in wheat head tissues. Some studies explored the impacts of post-flowering moisture on head blight development in bread wheat; however, their impacts on durum wheat are unknown. To end this, the influence of humidity on the infection of head tissues for three durum wheat cultivars of varying resistance levels by four fungal pathogens causing head blight was investigated under natural climatic conditions during the growing season 2022/2023. A pot experiment was designed as split-split-plot with five replicates. Main plots were durations of spray-irrigation of 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days; sub-plots were durum wheat cultivars; and sub-sub-plots were 16 fungal isolates of varying pathogenicity of four Fusarium species. The quantification of the disease responses to the changeable watered conditions was through the determination of the incidence of FHB, severity of FHB 21 days after inoculation as well as Fusarium-damaged kernel (FDK) percentages on harvested grain. No significant differences were observed between the 0 and 7-day spray-irrigation treatments for DI, DS and FDK, showing that extended moisture promotes Fusarium development and enhances grain fungus colonization in head tissues. 21 or 28 days of spray had the same impact and were linked with an increase in mean DI, DS and FDK compared with 0 or 7 days of spray, and 14 days of spray was also linked with an increase in mean of these three disease responses. To our best knowledge, this is the first report showing an increase in FHB symptoms in durum wheat infected with F. culmorum, F. solani, F. verticillioides, and F. equiseti when subjected to post-flowering moisture. These findings suggest that improved moisture management and cultivar selection are critical strategies for minimizing FHB-related yield losses in durum wheat. Meteorological humidity is a crucial factor determining the disease damage of Fusarium-infected durum wheat.References
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