Author
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Plattner, Ronald |
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Submitted to: ARS Workshop on Fusarium Toxins Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 9/17/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The focus of research conducted in our laboratory has been to develop strategies to eliminate, or at least minimize, production of mycotoxins that result from contamination of corn in the field by Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium graminearum. This strategy is based on understanding the infection process by learning the details of plant fungal interactions that lead to infection, biosynthesis and regulation of toxin production at the molecular level. During the course of this research we have conducted field tests that have lead to insights about the location of fumonisins within the corn ear. In these tests, we infected plants with Fusarium moniliforme in a number of ways. We have heat treated seed to kill any systemic infection of Fusarium in the seed and then directly infected seeds with selected strains of Fusarium moniliforme and planting them. We also infected plants by placing an infected tooth pick near the kernel when we planted it. The third method of infecting the plants was by injection of fungal spores into the silks of the developing ear five days after they emerged. |
