Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB) or scab is a significant fungal disease of wheat and barley, imposing a threat to the worlds' food supply. A major causal agent is the ascomycete Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (teleomorph: Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch). In addition to quantitative losses, F. graminearum also causes a reduction in grain quality due to the production of mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and zearalenon. These pose a serious hazard to human and animal health. Recent genomic analyses are elucidating many aspects of this fungus.
