The effect of plant growth regulators on Fusarium head blight infection in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by Fusarium graminearum
Date
2021
Authors
Lee, Younyoung
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an important fungal disease of wheat predominantly caused by Fusarium graminearum. FHB infection in cereal crops leads to yield loss and decreased grain quality due to accumulation of mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol. Many highly FHB resistant wheat cultivars are tall and are prone to lodging. Application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) to tall cultivars with the highest level of FHB resistant could prevent wheat from lodging and overcome the negative association between shorter plants and FHB susceptibility. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of PGRs on FHB infection and anther retention in spring wheat cultivars. Two commercially available PGRs, Manipulator™ and Ethrel™, were applied to five spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars which differed in height, FHB resistance level and semi-dwarfing alleles. Results from this study showed Ethrel™ reduced plant height under field and controlled environments conditions. Under field conditions, PGRs did not influence anther retention and FHB infection in spring wheat. In contrast, in controlled environment conditions, Manipulator™ decreased anther retention, while Ethrel™ increased anther retention. Treatment with Manipulator™ showed conflicting results on the accumulation of F. graminearum DNA in the spike. The Ethrel™ treatment showed that accumulation of F. graminearum DNA is genotype specific. Overall, the performance of PGRs on height, anther retention and FHB infection were influenced by environmental conditions.
Description
Keywords
Spring wheat, FHB, Plant growth regulators, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium head blight