Fusarium species and mycotoxin contamination in maize in Buenos Aires province, Argentina

CASTAÑARES E. (FIRST JOINT AUTHORSHIP); MARTINEZ M. (FIRST JOINT AUTHORSHIP) ; CRISTOS D.; ROJAS D.; STENGLEIN S.A.; DINOLFO M.I.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PLANT PATHOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2019 vol. 155 p. 1265 - 1275

0929-1873

Maize is one of the most important crops inArgentina. This crop can be affected by the presence ofdifferent Fusarium species, causing two distinct diseasesknown as Fusarium ear rot and Gibberella ear rot. In thisstudy, a total of 90 samples from commercial fields ofBuenos Aires province in Argentina were collected duringthe 2015, 2016 and 2017 harvest seasons with the aim toevaluate Fusarium species presence, mycotoxin contentand to establish a relationship between the main Fusariummycotoxins infecting maize grains and the environmentalconditions. The results showed that F. verticillioides wasthe most isolated species followed by F. subglutinans,species of Fusarium graminearum species complex,F. proliferatum, and F. cerealis varying their presenceaccording to the harvest season evaluated. Regarding mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol and 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenolshowed content from 281.26 ± 22.51 to 359.02 ±42.57 μg/kg in the 3 yrs evaluated, while 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and zearalenone were notfound. With regard to B1 and B2 fumonisins, these mycotoxins were detected below the detection limit of 0.3 μg/kgin some maize samples in the 3 yrs. The selection of maizegenotypes, cultural practices, and climatic conditions couldbe responsible for the Fusarium species found and theirrespective mycotoxin production. Due to worldwide concern about food security and the potential risk the globalclimate change could impart, it will be necessary to develop predictive models based on meteorological conditionsto determine the risk of Fusarium presence and mycotoxinproduction in maize similar to those developed in othercrops.