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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #90631
Title: RELATIONSHIP OF DISEASE INCIDENCE, DEOXYNIVALENOL CONCENTRATION, AND ERGOSTEROL IN BARLEY SAMPLES INFECTED WITH FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT.

Author
item STEFFENSON, B - NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV.
item SALAS, B - NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV.
item Phillips, Joel
item Henson, Cynthia

Submitted to: Brewers Digest
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/26/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight (FHB) epidemics have severely impacted both the yield and quality of the barley crop in the Upper Midwest region over the past five years (1993-1997). To determine the possible relationship between pre-harvest disease estimates in barley fields and the deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration in harvested grain samples, we analyzed 292 spikes of barley (cv. 'Stander') exhibiting a wide range of FHB infection. Individual spikes were assessed for percent FHB incidence, ergosterol (an indicator of fungal biomass), and DON, the primary mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum. The correlation coefficients (r) between FHB incidence and DON and FHB incidence and ergosterol were 0.64 (P=0.0001) and 0.57 (P=0.0001), respectively. Further refinement of the sampling and disease assessment protocols may provide a useful means for estimating the possible range of DON present in grain samples prior to harvest.