2014 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 193-199
We examined the potential of an assay for assessing corn ear rot resistance induced by wound inoculation with Fusarium graminearum s.str. in five maize hybrids (relative maturity : 73-80 days) used for producing silage in Hokkaido Prefecture. The effects of the spore concentration and inoculation timing of inocula on the disease incidence were examined and the relationship between disease incidence and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation was clarified. Inoculation to the different maize hybrids with a spore suspension of 1-5 × 105 spores/ml 10-15days after silking revealed differences in corn ear rot resistance among hybrids. Although a strong positive correlation was observed between disease incidence and DON concentration (P < 0.01), DON concentration was very high in some hybrids even though the disease incidences were similar compared with other hybrids. We propose that measurements of DON accumulation in infected plants should be incorporated into assays used to evaluate corn ear rot in maize.
