Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat

Fusarium langsethiae is a fungal pathogen of cereal crops that is an increasing problem in northern Europe, but much of its epidemiology is poorly understood. The species produces the mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2, which are highly toxic. It was hypothesized that grain aphids, Sitobion avenae, may transmi...

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Main Authors: Drakulic, Jassy, Ajigboye, Olubukola, Swarup, Ranjan, Bruce, Toby, Ray, Rumiana V.
Format: Article
Published: American Society for Microbiology. 2016
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49922/
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author Drakulic, Jassy
Ajigboye, Olubukola
Swarup, Ranjan
Bruce, Toby
Ray, Rumiana V.
author_facet Drakulic, Jassy
Ajigboye, Olubukola
Swarup, Ranjan
Bruce, Toby
Ray, Rumiana V.
author_sort Drakulic, Jassy
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Fusarium langsethiae is a fungal pathogen of cereal crops that is an increasing problem in northern Europe, but much of its epidemiology is poorly understood. The species produces the mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2, which are highly toxic. It was hypothesized that grain aphids, Sitobion avenae, may transmit F. langsethiae inoculum between wheat plants, and a series of transmission experiments and volatile chemical analyses was performed to test this. Manual translocation of aphids from inoculated to uninfected hosts resulted in pathogen DNA accumulation in hosts. However, the free movement of wingless aphids from infected to healthy plants did not. The addition of winged aphids reared on F. langsethiae-inoculated wheat seedlings to wheat plants also did not achieve successful pathogen transfer. While our data suggested that aphid transmission of the pathogen was not very efficient, we observed an increase in disease when aphids were present. After seedling inoculation, an increase in pathogen DNA accumulation in seedling leaves was observed upon treatment with aphids. Furthermore, the presence of aphids on wheat plants with F. langsethiae-inoculated ears not only led to a rise in the amount of F. langsethiae DNA in infected grain but also to an increase in the concentrations of T-2 and HT-2 toxins, with more than 3-fold higher toxin levels than diseased plants without aphids. This work highlights that aphids increase the susceptibility of wheat host plants to F. langsethiae and that aphid infestation is a risk factor for accumulating increased levels of T-2 and HT-2 in wheat products.
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spelling nottingham-499222020-05-04T18:19:18Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49922/ Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat Drakulic, Jassy Ajigboye, Olubukola Swarup, Ranjan Bruce, Toby Ray, Rumiana V. Fusarium langsethiae is a fungal pathogen of cereal crops that is an increasing problem in northern Europe, but much of its epidemiology is poorly understood. The species produces the mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2, which are highly toxic. It was hypothesized that grain aphids, Sitobion avenae, may transmit F. langsethiae inoculum between wheat plants, and a series of transmission experiments and volatile chemical analyses was performed to test this. Manual translocation of aphids from inoculated to uninfected hosts resulted in pathogen DNA accumulation in hosts. However, the free movement of wingless aphids from infected to healthy plants did not. The addition of winged aphids reared on F. langsethiae-inoculated wheat seedlings to wheat plants also did not achieve successful pathogen transfer. While our data suggested that aphid transmission of the pathogen was not very efficient, we observed an increase in disease when aphids were present. After seedling inoculation, an increase in pathogen DNA accumulation in seedling leaves was observed upon treatment with aphids. Furthermore, the presence of aphids on wheat plants with F. langsethiae-inoculated ears not only led to a rise in the amount of F. langsethiae DNA in infected grain but also to an increase in the concentrations of T-2 and HT-2 toxins, with more than 3-fold higher toxin levels than diseased plants without aphids. This work highlights that aphids increase the susceptibility of wheat host plants to F. langsethiae and that aphid infestation is a risk factor for accumulating increased levels of T-2 and HT-2 in wheat products. American Society for Microbiology. 2016-11-30 Article PeerReviewed Drakulic, Jassy, Ajigboye, Olubukola, Swarup, Ranjan, Bruce, Toby and Ray, Rumiana V. (2016) Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82 (22). pp. 6548-6556. ISSN 1098-5336 http://aem.asm.org/content/82/22/6548 doi:10.1128/AEM.02343-16 doi:10.1128/AEM.02343-16
spellingShingle Drakulic, Jassy
Ajigboye, Olubukola
Swarup, Ranjan
Bruce, Toby
Ray, Rumiana V.
Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat
title Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat
title_full Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat
title_fullStr Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat
title_full_unstemmed Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat
title_short Aphid infestation increases Fusarium langsethiae and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in wheat
title_sort aphid infestation increases fusarium langsethiae and t-2 and ht-2 mycotoxins in wheat
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49922/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49922/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49922/