Pathogenicity of different Fusarium species on six arable crop species in Finland

In cereals, Fusarium species composition and associated mycotoxin risks are well studied in the Nordic countries, but the interactions between Fusarium populations and the legume crops faba bean and field pea, and the increasingly cultivated new crops such as maize and oilseed hemp, are unrevealed. In this study, two-year field experiments were carried out with spring wheat, oat and and the above-mentioned crops on small demonstration plots in 10 different fields in Central Finland. The aim was to analyse the severity of symptoms and prevalence of Fusarium species from the root and stem tissues of the field plants. While the legumes exhibited the most symptomatic plants, the prevalence of Fusarium species and symptoms in the samples varied considerably between the fields, F. avenaceum and F. equiseti being the most frequently detected species. In addition, the germination, growth and symptom development from Fusarium inoculated seeds of these arable crop species were examined in greenhouse conditions. F. graminearum, F. culmorum, and F. avenaceum were the most pathogenic Fusarium species in these experiments comparing up to 105 Fusarium isolate x crop species combinations.