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Fusarium graminearum isolates obtained from wheat and wild grasses in northeastern New York display comparable range of phenotypes, including virulence on crop hosts

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Abstract

The crop pathogen Fusarium graminearum often colonizes non-cultivated grasses, but the phenotypic variation found in isolates recovered from these hosts has not been thoroughly investigated or compared to that observed in isolates collected from crop hosts. Fusarium graminearum growth, perithecia formation, and virulence on crops (maize seedlings, wheat seedlings, wheat spikes) were measured in laboratory and greenhouse experiments using isolates (n = 24) recovered from three non-cultivated grasses (Bromus inermis, Dactylis glomerata, and Phalaris arundinacea) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) found at a single research farm in northeastern New York. While individual isolates varied significantly for all phenotypes measured, grass and wheat derived isolates displayed a comparable range of phenotypic values. Trichothecene genotypes were determined from the TRI12 and TRI1 loci, and mycotoxin production was quantified in mature wheat spikes. Trichothecene genotype and phenotype were largely concordant and were not related to isolate source. These findings support consideration of non-cultivated hosts as sources of diverse pathogen inoculum that may cause crop disease.

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Data availability

Nucleotide sequences generated in this study are deposited with NCBI GenBank and individual accession numbers are listed within this text. All other data and material will be made available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mike Davis, Manager of the Willsboro Research Farm for assistance with sample collection. Funding: Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Sustainable Biodiversity Fund, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project NYC153437. This material is also based, in part, upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 59-0206-4-006. This is a cooperative project with the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Funding

This work was funded by Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Sustainable Biodiversity Fund; U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Cornell University Hatch Project NYC153437; and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, under Agreement No. 59-0206-4-006. The latter is a cooperative project with the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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  1. School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Michael R. Fulcher, James B. Winans & Gary C. Bergstrom

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  1. Michael R. Fulcher
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  2. James B. Winans
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  3. Gary C. Bergstrom
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Correspondence to Gary C. Bergstrom.

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Fulcher, M.R., Winans, J.B. & Bergstrom, G.C. Fusarium graminearum isolates obtained from wheat and wild grasses in northeastern New York display comparable range of phenotypes, including virulence on crop hosts. J Plant Pathol 103, 71–77 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-020-00717-w

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