• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.301-313
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to discriminate between normal hulled barley and Fusarium (Fusarium asiaticum and Fusarium graminearum) infected hulled barley by using the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique. Methods: Fusarium asiaticum and Fusarium graminearum were artificially inoculated in hulled barley and the reflectance spectrum of the barley spike was obtained by using a near-infrared spectral sensor with wavelength band in the range 1,175-2,170 nm. After obtaining the spectrum of the specimen, the hulled barley was cultivated in a greenhouse and visually inspected for infections. Results: From a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) prediction model developed from the raw spectrum data of the hulled barley, the discrimination accuracy for the normal and infected hulled barley was 99.82% (563/564) and 100% (672/672), respectively. Conclusions: NIRS is effective as a quick and nondestructive method to detect whether hulled barley has been infected with Fusarium. Further, it expected that NIRS will be able to detect Fusarium infections in other grains as well.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2014

Nivalenol (NIV) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are predominant Fusarium-producing mycotoxins found in grains, which are mainly produced by Fusarium asiaticum and F. graminearum. NIV is found in most of cereals grown in Korea, but the genetic basis for NIV production by F. asiaticum has not been extensively explored. In this study, 12 genes belonging to the trichothecene biosynthetic gene cluster were compared at the transcriptional level between two NIV-producing F. asiaticum and four DON-producing F. graminearum strains. Chemical analysis revealed that time-course toxin production patterns over 14 days did not differ between NIV and DON strains, excluding F. asiaticum R308, which was a low NIV producer. Both quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Northern analysis revealed that the majority of TRI gene transcripts peaked at day 2 in both NIV and DON producers, which is 2 days earlier than trichothecene accumulation in liquid medium. Comparison of the gene expression profiles identified an NIV-specific pattern in two transcription factor-encoding TRI genes (TRI6 and TRI10) and TRI101, which showed two gene expression peaks during both the early and late incubation periods. In addition, the amount of trichothecenes produced by both DON and NIV producers were correlated with the expression levels of TRI genes, regardless of the trichothecene chemotypes. Therefore, the reduced production of NIV by R308 compared to NIV or DON by the other strains may be attributable to the significantly lower expression levels of the TRI genes, which showed early expression patterns.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.213-219
• /
• 2019

A total of 1,159 Fusarium strains were isolated from sorghum grown in Danyang and Youngwol in 2017 and 2018. The isolates were analyzed to reveal genetic, toxigenic and pathogenic characteristics. Phylogenetic analysis using TEF-1α and RPB2 genes showed that the samples were contaminated with at least 17 Fusarium species. Among them, F. graminearum, F. proliferatum, F. thapsinum, F. incarnatum, and F. asiaticum were dominant species. In F. graminearum and F. asiaticum, F. graminearum-15-acetyl deoxynivalenol chemotype and F. asiaticum-nivalenol chemotype were frequent. Six Fusarium species tested produced one or more mycotoxins, except F. thapsinum and FTSC 11. F. proliferatum and F. fujikuroi had FUM1 gene (76.0% and 81.6%, respectively) and some isolates produced high level of fumonisin (over 1,000 ㎍). F. proliferatum and F. thapsinum were more virulent than other species on sorghum. These results indicate that Fusarium species in sorghum might produce multiple mycotoxins.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.157-163
• /
• 2019

This study aimed to assess the incidence and distribution of toxigenic fungi in Korean oat. Toxigenic fungi were isolated from oat samples collected from 12 oat fields from heading to harvest in 2017 and 2018. A total of 745 fungal colonies were isolated based on morphology and identified using marker genes. About 92% of the fungal isolates were Fusarium spp. and others were Penicillium (5.9%) and Aspergillus (2.1%). Fusarium isolates comprised mostly of F. asiaticum (83.1%), followed by F. incarnatum (5.4%), F. proliferatum (3.5%), F. fujikuroi (2.8%), F. tricinctum species complex (FTSC) 11 (1.5%) and F. graminearum (1.0%). About 97% of F. asiaticum was nivalenol type, and 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol (3.2%) and 15-acetyl deoxynivalenol (0.4%) types also were found. Pathogenicity test of the selected Fusarium isolates revealed that F. asiaticum isolates have a wide range of virulence depending on the tested plants. F. graminearum and FTSC 11 isolates from blighted spikelets were the most virulent in naked oat. All Fusarium isolates (n=18) except one (FTSC 11) produced nivalenol (0.2-7.6 ㎍/g), deoxynivalenol (0.03-6.1 ㎍/g), and zearalenone (0.1-27.0 ㎍/g) on rice medium. This study is first report that F. asiaticum causes Fusarium head blight disease of oat in Korea. These findings demonstrate the dominance of F. asiaticum in oat agroecosystems as in rice, wheat and barley in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.543-552
• /
• 2019

Fusarium asiaticum of the F. graminearum species complex causes head blight in small-grain cereals. The nivalenol (NIV) chemotypes of F. asiaticum is more common than the deoxynivalenol (DON) chemotypes of F. asiaticum or F. graminearum in Korea. To understand the prevalence of F. asiaticum-NIV in Korean cereals, we characterized the biological traits of 80 cereal isolates of F. asiaticum producing NIV or 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), and 54 F. graminearum with 3-ADON or 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON). There was no significant difference in mycelial growth between the chemotypes, but F. asiaticum isolates grew approximately 30% faster than F. graminearum isolates on potato dextrose agar. Sexual and asexual reproduction capacities differed markedly between the two species. Both chemotypes of F. graminearum (3-ADON and 15-ADON) produced significantly higher numbers of perithecia and conidia than F. asiaticum-NIV. The highest level of mycotoxins (sum of trichothecenes and zearalenone) was produced by F. graminearum-3-ADON on rice medium, followed by F. graminearum-15-ADON, F. asiaticum-3-ADON, and F. asiaticum-NIV. Zearalenone levels were correlated with DON levels in some chemotypes, but not with NIV levels. Disease assessment on barley, maize, rice, and wheat revealed that both F. asiaticum and F. graminearum isolates were virulent toward all crops tested. However, there is a tendency that virulence levels of F. asiaticum-NIV isolates on rice were higher than those of F. graminearum isolates. Taken together, the phenotypic traits found among the Korean F. asiaticum-NIV isolates suggest an association with their host adaptation to certain environments in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.297-312
• /
• 2020

Wilted soybean plants were collected from soybeans cultivation fields in Korea from 2014 to 2016. Fusarium spp., Colletotrichum spp., Rhizoctonia spp., Macrophomina sp., Phytophthora spp., and Calonectria ilicicola were obtained from the infected samples. Out of these, Fusarium spp. were the dominant species (79.1%). In total, 53 isolates were identified as F. solani species complex, F. oxysporum species complex, F. graminearum species complex, and F. fujikuroi species complex based on mycological characteristics. Sequence typing analysis was conducted using translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF) to confirm the identification of isolates. All isolates were identified as F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. commune, F. asiaticum, and F. fujikuroi based on phylogenetic analysis of TEF sequences. Pathogenicity of 44 isolates was tested on three cultivars of soybean using the root dip inoculation method. Out of 5 Fusarium species, only F. asiaticum could not cause the symptoms or be weak. Ten isolates were selected based on pathogenic characters and species identification to investigate the host range and screen soybean cultivars for resistance. Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, and F. commune were aggressive only to soybean, and F. fujikuroi was aggressive to kidney bean, yellow cowpea, black cowpea, adzuki bean as well as soybean. All 13 Korean soybean cultivars were susceptible to F. commune and F. fujikuroi. Out of 13 cultivars, cv. Janggi, cv. Poongsannamul, and cv. Socheongja were resistant to Fusarium wilt, while cv. Hwanggeumol and Chamol were susceptible to Fusarium wilt.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.106-114
• /
• 2024

Fusarium head blight (FHB), predominantly caused by Fusarium graminearum and F. asiaticum, is a significant fungal disease impacting small-grain cereals. The absence of highly resistant cultivars underscores the need for vigilant FHB surveillance to mitigate its detrimental effects. In 2023, a notable FHB outbreak occurred in the southern region of Korea. We assessed FHB disease severity by quantifying infected spikelets and grains. Isolating fungal pathogens from infected samples often encounters interference from various microorganisms. We developed a cost-effective, selective medium, named BGT (Burkholderia glumae Toxoflavin) medium, utilizing B. glumae, which is primarily known for causing bacterial panicle blight in rice. This medium exhibited selective growth properties, predominantly supporting Fusarium spp., while substantially inhibiting the growth of other fungi. Using the BGT medium, we isolated F. graminearum and F. asiaticum from infected wheat and barley samples across Korea. To further streamline the process, we used a direct PCR approach to amplify the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF-1α) region without a separate genomic DNA extraction step. Phylogenetic analysis of the TEF-1α region revealed that the majority of the isolates were identified as F. asiaticum. Our results demonstrate that BGT medium is an effective tool for FHB diagnosis and Fusarium strain isolation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.347-355
• /
• 2018

Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium species is a major disease of wheat and barley around the world. FHB causes yield reductions and contamination of grains with trichothecene mycotoxins including; nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON). The objectives of this study were to identify strains of F. graminearum isolated in Korea from 2012-harvested wheat grain and to test the pathogenicity of these NIV- and DON-producing isolates. Three hundred and four samples of wheat grain, harvested in 2012 in Chungnam, Chungbuk, Gyeongnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Gangwon provinces were collected. We recovered 44 isolates from the 304 samples, based on the PCR amplification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA region and sequencing. Our findings indicate that F. asiaticum was the predominant (95% of all isolates) species in Korea. We recovered both F. asiaticum and F. graminearum from samples collected in Chungnam province. Of the 44 isolates recovered, 36 isolates had a NIV genotype while 8 isolates belonged to the DON genotype (3-ADON and 15-ADON). In order to characterize the pathogenicity of the strains collected, disease severity was assessed visually on various greenhouse-grown wheat cultivars inoculated using both NIV- and DON-producing isolates. Our results suggest that Korean F. graminearum isolates from wheat belong to F. asiaticum producing NIV, and both F. graminearum and F. asiaticum are not significantly different on virulence in wheat cultivars.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.172-179
• /
• 2021

This study aimed to assess the disease incidence and distribution of toxigenic in Korean triticale. The pathogen of triticale that cause Fusarium head blight were isolated from five different triticale cultivars that cultivated in Suwon Korea at 2021 year. The 72 candidate were classified as a Fusarium asiaticum by morphology analysis and by ITS1, TEF-1α gene sequence analysis. And the results of pathogenicity with 72 isolates on seedling triticale, 71 isolates were showed disease symptom. Also, seven out of 71 Fusarium isolates were inoculated on the wheat, to test the pathogenicity on the different host. The results showed more low pathogenicity on the wheat than triticale. The results of analysis of toxin type with 72 isolates, 64.6% isolates were produced nivalenol type toxin and other 4.6% and 30.8% isolates were produce 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, respectively. To select fungicide for control, the 72 Fusarium isolates were cultivated on the media that containing four kinds fungicide. The captan, hexaconazole, and difenoconazole·propiconazole treated Fusarium isolates were not showed resistance response against each fungicide. However, six isolates out of 72 isolates, showed resistance response to fludioxonil. This study is first report that F. asiaticum causes Fusarium head blight disease of triticale in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.308-312
• /
• 2018

We analyzed rice sample with scab (collected in 2017) for fungal occurrence and found that frequency of Fusarium spp. was the highest among fungal genera. Within Fusarium, Fusarium asiaticum-nivalenol type dominated as 79%. Among mycotoxins, zearalenone was the highest toxin detected (1117 ng/g), followed by deoxynivalenol (163 ng/g), 15-acetyl deoxynivalenol (155 ng/g), nivalenol (110 ng/g). Analysis of mycotoxin levels in scabby and healthy grains (collected in 2015) revealed that both grain samples were contaminated with zearalenone. However, level difference of zearalenone between the samples was over 5 times as the scabby samples were 1400-2370 ng/g, while healthy ones were 240-430 ng/g. This result indicates that scabby grains should be removed when harvest to reduce zearalenone contamination in rice.