Article
Food Science & Technology
Louise E. Johns, Daniel P. Bebber, Sarah J. Gurr, Neil A. Brown
Summary: This article reveals the changing threat of Fusarium head blight mycotoxins in European wheat over a period of ten years. The data shows persistent high levels of contamination, both in terms of single- and multi-mycotoxin contamination, as well as changing temporal-geographical distributions. This highlights the potential negative health consequences and economic costs of altering FHB disease pressure and pathogen populations.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jana Chrpova, Heinrich Grausgruber, Verena Weyermann, Maria Buerstmayr, Jana Palicova, Jana Kozova, Martina Travnickova, Quynh Trang Nguyen, Jose Esteban Moreno Amores, Hermann Buerstmayr, Dagmar Janovska
Summary: Modern spelt varieties with reduced plant height showed higher susceptibility to Fusarium head blight and higher contamination of grains with deoxynivalenol (DON), while old landraces and varieties had higher resistance and lower mycotoxin levels. These findings can aid in selecting suitable parental material for breeding spelt with improved FHB resistance.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
S. A. Palacios, A. Del Canto, J. Erazo, A. M. Torres
Summary: This study evaluated the aggressiveness of F. cerealis to durum wheat cultivars and mycotoxin production in planta, finding that all cultivars exhibited typical FHB symptoms and NIV was the most produced mycotoxin. Molecular analysis revealed all strains possessed NIV genotype, while chemical assessment showed they could produce various secondary metabolites. The increasing incidence of F. cerealis and the potential crop contamination with mycotoxins pose great concern for food security and world cereal trade, especially given the higher toxicity of NIV compared to DON.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Tim Birr, Tolke Jensen, Nils Preusske, Frank D. Sonnichsen, Marthe De Boevre, Sarah De Saeger, Mario Hasler, Joseph-Alexander Verreet, Holger Klink
Summary: The study found that forage maize in Northern Germany is often contaminated by multiple Fusarium mycotoxins, with high levels of DON and ZEN and the presence of their modified forms. The results demonstrate the significant contribution of modified mycotoxins to overall mycotoxin contamination in forage maize, highlighting the importance of including analysis of modified mycotoxins in future monitoring programs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Bhavit Chhabra, Lovepreet Singh, Sydney Wallace, Adam Schoen, Yanhong Dong, Vijay Tiwari, Nidhi Rawat
Summary: The study identified wheat mutants with resistance against Fusarium head blight (FHB) through forward genetic screening. Some of these mutants also exhibited low deoxynivalenol (DON) content in addition to FHB resistance. Subsequent controlled greenhouse testing revealed 10 mutant lines with significantly lower FHB spread, with 7 of them showing reduced DON content and 6 with fewer Fusarium-damaged kernels.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel Goddard, Andrew Steed, Pedro Luiz Scheeren, Joao Leodato Nunes Maciel, Eduardo Caierao, Gisele Abigail Montan Torres, Luciano Consoli, Flavio Martins Santana, Jose Mauricio Cunha Fernandes, James Simmonds, Cristobal Uauy, James Cockram, Paul Nicholson
Summary: The study found that Brazilian wheat exhibits varying degrees of resistance to Fusarium head blight, controlled by multiple genetic loci, with two major QTL identified on chromosomes 4B and 6B showing significant associations with disease-related traits. These findings provide new genetic resources for improving wheat quality and reducing the reliance on fungicides.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mariana Pinheiro, Caio H. T. Iwase, Bruno G. Bertozzi, Elem T. S. Carames, Lorena Carnielli-Queiroz, Nadia C. Langaro, Eliana B. Furlong, Benedito Correa, Liliana O. Rocha
Summary: The study investigated fungal diversity and mycotoxin contamination in freshly harvested oat samples from Parana and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Fusarium genus was predominant, with presence of type B trichothecenes. Oats from PR were mainly contaminated with DON, while those from RS were predominantly contaminated with NIV.
Article
Microbiology
Elias Alisaac, Anna Rathgeb, Petr Karlovsky, Anne-Katrin Mahlein
Summary: The study found that F. graminearum grows downward within infected wheat spikes and DON accumulation is largely confined to the colonized tissue. Additionally, F. graminearum was able to infect wheat kernels and cause mycotoxin contamination even when inoculated 25 days after anthesis.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lei Wu, Xinyao He, Yi He, Peng Jiang, Kaijie Xu, Xu Zhang, Pawan K. Singh
Summary: This study screened bread wheat accessions for Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance and identified loci associated with resistance. Several accessions with good FHB resistance were found and can be used in breeding programs in Mexico and China to improve resistance against FHB and mycotoxin accumulation in grains.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Monika Vranic, Alexandre Perochon, Fiona M. Doohan
Summary: This study investigates the mechanisms by which the wheat NAC transcription factor TaNACL-D1 enhances resistance to Fusarium head blight. Transcriptomic analysis reveals that TaNACL-D1 overexpression leads to enhanced gene expression involved in detoxification, immune responses, secondary metabolism, hormone biosynthesis, and signaling. The findings provide insights into the mode of action and downstream target pathways for this novel NAC transcription factor, validating its potential as a gene to enhance FHB resistance in wheat.
Article
Microbiology
Lina Zhang, Xishi Zhou, Pengfeng Li, Yiwei Wang, Qianyong Hu, Yuping Shang, Yunshen Chen, Xiying Zhu, Hongjie Feng, Cuijun Zhang
Summary: Fusarium graminearum is the main pathogen of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat, barley, and corn. This study found that putrescine, a wheat defense compound, can have a significant impact on the transcriptome of F. graminearum and induce the synthesis of DON. Gene ontology and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of various metabolic pathways. Co-expression analysis identified key transcription factor genes that may play important roles in DON synthesis. These findings provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying putrescine-induced DON synthesis and facilitate the study of FHB pathogenic mechanisms.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Rong Wang, Chen Hua, Yi Hu, Lei Li, Zhengxi Sun, Tao Li
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between Fusarium head blight and toxin accumulation using two different inoculation methods. Results showed that disease severity was not necessarily correlated with toxin concentration, but the effects of Fhb1 on disease severity and toxin levels were consistent across both methods.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fanlong Wang, Xianbi Li, Yujie Li, Jing Han, Yang Chen, Jianyan Zeng, Mei Su, Jingxin Zhuo, Hui Ren, Haoru Liu, Lei Hou, Yanhua Fan, Xingying Yan, Shuiqing Song, Juan Zhao, Dan Jin, Mi Zhang, Yan Pei
Summary: The Arabidopsis P4-ATPases AtALA1 and AtALA7 are found to detoxify mycotoxins by promoting vesicle transport, leading to their sequestration and degradation in vacuoles. Overexpression of AtALA1 and AtALA7 enhances plant resistance to Fusarium graminearum and Verticillium dahliae, while reducing the concentration of harmful mycotoxins in Arabidopsis siliques and maize seeds. This vesicle-mediated cell detoxification process offers a strategy to boost plant resistance against toxin-associated diseases and lower mycotoxin contamination in food and feed.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bikash Ghimire, Mohamed Mergoum, Alfredo D. Martinez-Espinoza, Suraj Sapkota, Sumit Pradhan, Md Ali Babar, Guihua Bai, Yanhong Dong, James W. Buck
Summary: Host resistance is an effective strategy to manage the negative impacts of Fusarium head blight on wheat grain yield and quality. This study identified novel QTL associated with different types of FHB resistance, and stacking multiple resistance alleles led to a significant reduction in FHB incidence and severity. Further validation and integration of these QTL into breeding programs may enhance wheat resistance to FHB.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hannah Reed, Brian Mueller, Carol L. Groves, Damon L. Smith
Summary: Research shows that Fusarium graminearum and its toxic secondary metabolite DON accumulate in both stalks and ears of corn plants, with variations in contamination levels between different years and plant parts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Nirodha Weeraratne, Benjamin J. Stodart, Vittorio Venturi, Monica Hofte, Gia Khuong Hoang Hua, Marc Ongena, Sandra Savocchia, Christopher C. Steel, Gavin J. Ash
Article
Food Science & Technology
Kaat Jose Peeters, Ashley Haeck, Lies Harinck, Oluwatoyin Oluwakemi Afolabi, Kristof Demeestere, Kris Audenaert, Monica Hofte
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Frank Van Boxstael, Hanna Aerts, Sarah Linssen, Joos Latre, Anneline Christiaens, Geert Haesaert, Isabelle Dierickx, Joeri Brusselle, Willem De Keyzer
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2020)
Review
Agronomy
Renik Van den Eynde, Thomas Van Leeuwen, Geert Haesaert
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jose A. Fernandez-Gallego, Peter Lootens, Irene Borra-Serrano, Veerle Derycke, Geert Haesaert, Isabel Roldan-Ruiz, Jose L. Araus, Shawn C. Kefauver
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Janne Spanoghe, Oliver Grunert, Eva Wambacq, Myrsini Sakarika, Gustavo Papini, Abbas Alloul, Marc Spiller, Veerle Derycke, Lutgart Stragier, Harmien Verstraete, Koen Fauconnier, Willy Verstraete, Geert Haesaert, Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sandra Debevere, Dian Schatzmayr, Nicole Reisinger, Markus Aleschko, Geert Haesaert, Michael Rychlik, Siska Croubels, Veerle Fievez
Article
Soil Science
Muhammad Abdul Munnaf, Angela Guerrero, Said Nawar, Geert Haesaert, Marc Van Meirvenne, Abdul Mounem Mouazen
Summary: Successful modelling of vis-NIR spectra is crucial for accurate variable rate applications of farm input resources. This study optimized on-line collected spectra for the prediction of soil quality indicators using spiking, clustering, and extra-weighting methods. Results showed that combining clustering with extra-weighting improved prediction accuracy for soil pH, organic carbon, extractable phosphorous, and potassium.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
M. A. Munnaf, G. Haesaert, A. M. Mouazen
Summary: This study compared the effect of map-based site-specific seeding (SSS) with uniform rate seeding (URS) on potato yield and economic return using electromagnetic induction and visible and near infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that SSS approaches led to increased tuber yields and higher economic returns compared to URS, with the visNIRsen-SSS method showing potential for maximizing profitability.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jonas Vandicke, Katrien De Visschere, Maarten Ameye, Siska Croubels, Sarah De Saeger, Kris Audenaert, Geert Haesaert
Summary: Mycotoxin contamination in maize silage is common in Flanders, with every sample containing at least two different mycotoxins. Nivalenol and deoxynivalenol are the most prevalent mycotoxins, often exceeding EU recommendations. Fermentation of maize silage can decrease mycotoxin concentrations, but poorly preserved silages may lead to additional mycotoxin production, resulting in high toxin levels.
Article
Microbiology
Godfrey Wokorach, Sofie Landschoot, Kris Audenaert, Richard Echodu, Geert Haesaert
Summary: The study found that household grains in northern Uganda are contaminated with a high diversity of fungi, many of which have the ability to produce toxins, highlighting the risk of mycotoxin exposure among the local population. Fusarium verticillioides was the most common fungal species isolated from the grains, with a high proportion of toxigenic isolates. These findings indicate a widespread issue with mycotoxins in sub-Saharan Africa.
Article
Plant Sciences
Lisa Heyman, Antonios Chrysargyris, Kristof Demeestere, Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Monica Hofte
Summary: This research investigates how grapevine responds to the concurrent challenge of drought stress and Plasmopara viticola, and how one stress affects the other. The study shows that drought can increase the susceptibility of grapevine leaves to pathogen infection, but both drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive cultivars exhibit resistance against the pathogen when inoculated in planta. Abscisic acid seems to play a prominent role in this resistance process. The findings suggest that irrigation practices to mitigate climate change effects may have a significant impact on plant pathogens.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Godfrey Wokorach, Sofie Landschoot, Juliet Anena, Kris Audenaert, Richard Echodu, Geert Haesaert
Summary: The study found high prevalence of multiple mycotoxin contamination in grains (sorghum being the most susceptible), posing significant health risks, especially for those whose diet is mainly based on sorghum. Millet, with the lowest contamination levels, could be an alternative. Various control and prevention mechanisms, such as good agricultural practices and optimized storage, must be further explored and implemented in sub-Saharan Africa to address the mycotoxin problem.
Article
Microbiology
Lea Girard, Cedric Lood, Monica Hofte, Peter Vandamme, Hassan Rokni-Zadeh, Vera van Noort, Rob Lavigne, Rene De Mot
Summary: This study identified 43 new Pseudomonas species through whole genome sequencing and updated the evolutionary and taxonomic relationships within the genus. The importance of correct taxonomic assignment and phylogenetic classification was highlighted for integrative studies on genetic diversity, lifestyle, and metabolic potential of Pseudomonas spp.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Feyisara Eyiwumi Oni, Qassim Esmaeel, Joseph Tobias Onyeka, Rasheed Adeleke, Cedric Jacquard, Christophe Clement, Harald Gross, Essaid Ait Barka, Monica Hofte
Summary: Pseudomonas lipopeptides (Ps-LPs) play important roles in bacterial physiology, host-microbe interactions, and plant disease control. LP-producing pseudomonads and their molecules show specificity and follow a phylogenetic distribution. Understanding the taxonomy-molecule relationship can help classify and determine the agricultural relevance of unknown LPs. It is necessary to systematically elucidate the roles of different Ps-LP groups in plant-pathogen interactions and plant innate immunity.
