White-Rot Mushrooms as Promising Biocontrol Agents Against Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat

Whether the extracts of Fomes fomentarius, Ganoderma applanatum and Trametes versicolor can inhibit the growth of Fusarium graminearum in vitro, reduce the severity of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and reduce fungal colonization of wheat seeds artificially infected with this pathogen were the questions that initiated this research. The mycelial growth of F. graminearum was significantly reduced after treatment with ethanol extracts of the studied white-rot fungi, from 43.1% with F. fomentarius to 53.2% with T. versicolor. Likewise, these extracts significantly reduced disease development in artificially infected wheat seeds. Disease severity was quantified using the Disease Severity Index (DSI). In fact, after artificial infection with F. graminearum of lines carrying effective resistance (Fhb7 locus) from an alien source and their treatment with mushroom extracts, disease severity was negligible, and seedling fitness was very high. The highest efficacy of 99.49% was recorded in the resistant line R6-1, carrying the Fhb7 allele from Thinopyrum elongatum (7E) following treatment with the T. versicolor extracts. Slightly lower efficacy values were obtained after treatment with G. applanatum (97.83%) and F. fomentarius (97.47%). The obtained results showed that the selected mushroom extracts can be used in F. graminearum control and support successful wheat cultivation in FHB-prone areas.