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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #253416
Title: Effect of Fusarium Head Blight on Hard Red Spring Wheat Quality and Correlation with Accumulation of the Toxin Deoxynivalenol in the Grain After Fungicide Treatment

Author
item WHITNEY, KRISTIN - North Dakota State University
item HALLEY, SCOTT - Langdon Extension Center
item Ohm, Jae-Bom
item MERGOUM, MOHAMED - North Dakota State University
item SIMSEK, SENAY - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2010
Publication Date: 9/1/2010
Citation: Whitney, K., Halley, S., Ohm, J., Mergoum, M., Simsek, S. 2010. Effect of Fusarium Head Blight on Hard Red Spring Wheat Quality and Correlation with Accumulation of the Toxin Deoxynivalenol in the Grain After Fungicide Treatment. Meeting Abstract. 55:A75.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: 1. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease that negatively affects small grains. In wheat this is caused by the pathogen Fusarium graminearum. An important effect of FHB infection is the production of several toxins including deoxynivalenol (DON) also referred to as vomitoxin. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set an advisory level for wheat and wheat products for human consumption of less than 1ppm of DON. This study focused on the correlation between DON levels and spring wheat quality parameters. One spring wheat variety (Freyr) was grown in one environment to eliminate the genetic and environmental differences. A grain infected with F. graminearum was hand-broadcast two weeks before anthesis growth stage to encourage the development of FHB and managed with different fungicide treatments to encourage the accumulation of various levels of DON in the wheat grain. Wheat kernels and flour were evaluated to determine the correlation between different levels of DON accumulation and quality parameters. DON levels in the flour ranged from 0.9 to 5.6ppm. Wheat quality tests showed that a significant correlation was present between DON and many of the wheat quality parameters. A significant negative correlation between test weight and DON levels was also present. DON levels also had significant correlation with several flour quality characteristics. The L* value, which represents flour whiteness, had a significant negative correlation with DON. Gluten index also had a significant negative correlation with high DON indicating reduced protein quality in samples with high DON levels. Significant correlations were also found with alveograph and extensograph parameters including a negative correlation to strength and a positive correlation to extensibility. All of these results show that the level of DON in wheat and flour may affect the quality and end use properties.