VARIETAL COMPOSITION AND FREQUENCY OF FUSARIUM PRESENCE ON WINTER WHEAT VARIETIES IN THE TAMBOV REGION

Abstract

In the climatic conditions of the Central Black-earth region, the infection of wheat grain with Fusarium fungi is of latent nature and can only be detected by mycological analysis. For this reason, the varietal composition of the pathogenic complex of fungi Fusarium on winter and spring wheat has not been thoroughly studied yet. Working with the problem in the conditions of the Tambov region, it was found that the grain of these varieties was infected with various species of Fusarium. The most infected spring wheat varieties were “Nik” (69%), “Biora” (45%) and “Prokhorovka” (30%). The varieties “Saratovskaya 29” (4%) and “Tulaikovskaya 100” (5%) were less infected than the other. Nine species of fungus Fusarium spp. found on spring wheat seeds were F. acuminatum Ellis, an Everhart (1895), a Wollenweber (1917), F. avenaceum (Corda ex Fries) Saccardo (1886), F. culmorum (WG Smith) Saccardo  (1895), F. equiseti (Corda) Saccardo (1886), F. poae (Peck) Wollenweber in Lewis (1913), F. sambucinum Fuckel (1869), F. semitectum Berkeley and Ravenel in Berkeley (1875), F. sporotrichioides Sherbakoff (1915) and F. tricinctum (Corda) Saccardo (1886). The leading position was occupied by the species Fusarium sporotrichioides and F. avenaceum. The frequency of their occurrence on spring wheat seeds was 56.6 and 20.9%, respectively. The contamination of winter wheat with a Fusarium fungus was lower than the infection of spring wheat (1–8%). Four species of Fusarium spp. were identified on the seeds of winter wheat, they are F. avenaceum (Corda ex Fries) Saccardo (1886), F. graminearum Schwabe (1838), F. poae (Peck) Wollenweber in Lewis (1913) and F. sporotrichioides Sherbakoff (1915). The dominant position belonged to the species Fusarium poae and F. sporotrichioides (41.7 and 37.5%). It has been shown that the level of infection of wheat seeds by Fusarium fungi depends on the variety resistance to the infection.