Production of trichothecenes and zearalenone by isolates of <i>Fusavium</i> spp. from Argentinian maize

Abstract

Fusarium cultures (27 isolates of Fusarium graminearum, 5 of F. sporotrichioides, 5 of F. semitectum, 2 of F. solani, and one isolate of F. equiseti, F. heterosporum and F. oxysporum respectively, from maize ears) were screened to determine their ability to produce different trichothecenes and zearalenone. Twenty of 27 F. graminearum isolates produced deoxynivalenol (384–5745 μg/kg), 7/27 produced 3‐acetyl‐deoxynivalenol (322–1840 μg/kg), 3/27 produced neosolaniol (199–898 μg/kg), 5/27 produced diacetoxyscirpenol (205–3095 μg/kg), 4/27 produced HT‐2 toxin (278–1377 μg/kg) and 13/27 produced zearalenone (200–35 045 μg/kg). No isolate of F. graminearum produced either nivalenol, 15‐acetyldeoxynivalenol, T‐2 toxin, T‐2 triol or T‐2 tetraol. Only chemotype I A (deoxynivalenol and 3‐acetyl‐deox‐ynivalenol) was observed. F. sporotrichioides isolates produced deoxynivalenol (5/5), T‐2 triol and T‐2 tetraol (1/5) and zearalenone (1/5). One F. semitectum isolate produced diacetoxyscirpenol and F. equiseti and F. oxysporum isolates produced only deoxynivalenol. Thus, three of the toxins studied, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and 3‐acetyl‐deoxynivale‐nol are most likely to appear as contaminants in freshly harvested maize.