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POSTERS: Abiotic interactions

Impact of crop rotation on genetic diversity of Fusarium isolates causing Fusarium head blight in Pennsylvania
Maíra Duffeck - The Pennsylvania State University. Emerson Del Ponte- Departamento de Fitopatologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Dilooshi K. Weerasooriya- The Pennsylvania State University, Ananda Bandara- The Pennsylvania State University, Paul Esker- The Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania small grain production is marked by diverse crop rotations. However, there is a lack of information regarding the interactions between different management strategies and how they impact Fusarium spp. composition and Fusarium head blight (FHB) occurrence. During the summer of 2018, 184 field samples of small grains (wheat, spelt and oat) were collected from 9 counties in Pennsylvania using a standardized sampling procedure. Information about the field including previous crop and FHB index were also recorded. In the laboratory, isolation of Fusarium strains were made from FHB-symptomatic spikelets. These were surface sterilized with a 5% sodium hypochlorite solution and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media. After 4 days, fragments of mycelia typical of Fusarium spp. were transferred to specific nutrition-poor agar (SNA) to obtain pure cultures from a single spore. The genomic DNA extraction will be conducted to amplify the partial sequencing of the translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF-1?) gene and confirm species identity. PCR reactions targeting Tri3 and Tri12 genes will determine trichothecene types (3-ADON, 15-ADON and NIV) among isolates. The genetic structure of isolates will be measured using the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) markers. This new knowledge will help us better understand the influence of crop rotation on the Fusarium species composition in small grains and the potential for FHB and mycotoxin development.