Archivio Journal of Plant Pathology

Abstract:

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an important disease principally attacking wheat, barley and other grains worldwide. Among the Fusarium species causing this disease, the most common is Fusarium graminearum. F. avenaceum, F. culmorum and F. poae are also responsible for FHB, but are less often implicated. F. poae is a fungus of increasingly recognized importance, which has been associated with human and animal toxicoses as its strains produce aurofusarin, beauvericin, butenolide, culmorin, cyclonerodiol, enniatins, fusarin, moniliformin, and trichothecenes of types A and B. The extensive range of mycotoxin production of this fungus requires particular attention because of the toxicological problems it may elicit. Moreover, as the profiles of grain contaminants caused by FHB seem to be related to different environmental conditions, multiple evaluations using data collected from a large range of sites with different climatic conditions, would be extremely useful. The aim of the present review is to highlight the importance of F. poae in the FHB complex.