Aggressiveness and mycotoxin production by Fusarium meridionale compared with F. graminearum on maize ears and stalks in the field.

Fusarium meridionale and F. graminearum both cause Gibberella ear (GER) and stalk rot (GSR) of maize in Brazil, but the former is much more common. Recent work with two isolates of each from maize suggested this dominance could be due to greater aggressiveness and competitiveness of F. meridionale on maize. We evaluated pathogenicity and toxigenicity of 16 isolates of F. graminearum and 24 isolates of F. meridionale recovered from both wheat and maize. Strains were individually inoculated into ears of four maize hybrids in field trials. GER severity varied significantly among isolates within each species. Although ranges overlapped, the average GER severity induced by F. meridionale (25.2%) was two times higher overall than F. graminearum (12.8%) for isolates obtained from maize, but similar for those isolated from wheat (19.9 and 21.4% respectively). In contrast, severity of GSR was slightly higher for F. graminearum (22.2%) versus F. meridionale (19.8%), with no effect of the host of origin. Deoxynivalenol and its acetylated form 15ADON were the main mycotoxins produced by F. graminearum (7/16 strains), while nivalenol toxin was produced by F. meridionale (17/24 strains). Six isolates of F. graminearum and three of F. meridionale also produced zearalenone. Results confirmed that F. meridionale from maize is, on average, more aggressive on maize, but also suggested greater complexity related to diversity among the individual isolates within each species and their interactions with different hybrids. Further studies involving other components of the disease cycle are needed to more fully explain observed patterns of host dominance.