The effects of fungicides on Fusarium spp. and their associated mycotoxins in naturally infected winter wheat grain

Field trials conducted at the Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (central part of Lithuania) in 2009 were aimed to evaluate the effect of fungicides on Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in a naturally infected field. A single application of dimoxystrobin + epoxiconazole (Swing Gold), prothioconazole (Proline), metconazole (Juventus), tebuconazole (Folicur), prothioconazole + tebuconazole (Prosaro) was applied to winter wheat cv. ‘Zentos’ at the manufacturerʹs recommended doses at anthesis (BBCH 65). The FHB incidence and severity were assessed at milk and hard maturity stages. The percentage of Fusarium infected grain and deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN) and T-2 toxin (T-2) concentrations in harvested grain were determined. In all fungicide treated plots a significant reduction of FHB incidence and severity was determined; however the fungicides did not exert any effect on the amount of Fusarium-infected grain as compared with the untreated control. A reduction of DON, ZEN and T-2 contents in grain was determined in tebuconazole treatments. Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc, F. culmorum (W. G. Sm.) Sacc., F. poae (Peck) Wollenw, F. sporotrichioides Sherb. and F. tricinctum (Corda) Sacc were identified in wheat grain, F. poae was prevalent.