Reassessment of Mycotoxin Productivity of Microdochium nivale in Japan

Abstract

The reports about negation of mycotoxin productivity of Microdochium nivale (syn. Fusarium nivale) led us to reinvestigate Japanese isolates of M. nivale. Thirty isolates were collected from different district of Japan. These were from 5 species of gramineous plants in 1988-1993 and analyzed on their mycotoxin productivity within 2 years. Trials were conducted for combinations of medium (rice and wheat grain) with culture temperature (0°C and 20°C). In addition, we examined samples inoculated artificially on cut-spikes of winter wheat and field samples of orchardgrass infested with M. nivale. As a result, we did not detect the known mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, nivalenol, fusarenon-X, T-2 toxin, neosolaniol, zearalenone) in all trials. Mycelial growth temperature of Fusarium sp. strain Fn-2B, from which nivalenol was firstly isolated, was higher than that of M. nivale. Fn-2B was not pathogenic to winter wheat under snow.