Poster: Biology & Disease Mgmt: Postharvest Pathology & Mycotoxins
119-P
Differential effects of DON and 15-ADON on maize seedling growth
Y. MENG (1), J. Li (2), G. Munkvold (3), C. Liang (2), L. Luo (2) (1) China Agricultural University;Iowa State University;Hexi University, China; (2) China Agricultural University, China; (3) Iowa State University, U.S.A.
Fusarium graminearum (Fg) is a common pathogen causing maize seedling blight in China. Trichothecene mycotoxins produced by Fg have been implicated as pathogenicity factors in seedling blight, but little is known about the effects of specific toxins, such as DON and 15-ADON. In order to study the effect of both mycotoxins on seed germination, maize seeds were soaked in 20 μg ml-1 of DON or 15-ADON for 12h and germinated by rolled paper method; seed germination was counted daily and root length and seedling weight were measured after 7 days. The results showed both mycotoxins decreased seed germination significantly compared to the control, but there was no significant difference between DON and 15A-DON treatments. However, 15 A-DON displayed significantly reduced root length and lateral root numbers compared to DON. We speculated that 15-ADON production by F. graminearum in early stages of infection plays an important role in the poor development of roots, which is a typical symptom of maize seedling blight in the field.