Quantification of Fusarium poae DNA and associated mycotoxins in asymptomatically contaminated wheat

Recent surveys have identified increased predominance of Fusarium poae causing FHB (Fusarium Head Blight) of wheat in Europe. Several studies revealed a correlation between levels of F. poae DNA and nivalenol (NIV) and enniatins (ENNs) in highly contaminated cereal grain. In this study, F. poae specific TaqMan assays and mycotoxin analysis were performed on 48 asymptomatically contaminated wheat grain samples obtained from six different locations in northern Poland in 2006 and 2007. TaqMan assays revealed the presence of F. poae DNA in all samples analyzed, however the amounts of target DNA between the samples differed. Mycotoxin analysis revealed the presence of 13 toxins in the grain analyzed, however only ENN B and B1 were detected at quantifiable concentrations. A significant positive correlation was revealed between F. poae DNA (R = 0.75) and monthly mean rainfalls recorded in May (a month before wheat anthesis) in both years. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between levels of ENN B+B1 (R = 0.49) and rainfalls in May, however, no correlation was found between the quantity F. poae DNA and the level of ENN B+B1. This paper confirms the increasing importance of F. poae in the FHB complex of wheat in Poland.