Control of Fusarium Head Blight and Accumulation of Deoxynivalenol in Durum Wheat Grain, Semolina and Bran

Abstract

The effects of E.B.I. fungicides (bromuconazole, prochloraz and tebuconazole) on Fusarium head blight (FHB) and on the deoxynivalenol (DON) content in grain, semolina and bran were examined in three separate trials carried out in fields near Bologna (Italy) on susceptible durum wheat varieties artificially inoculated with Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum, responsible for head blight. Bromuconazole, prochloraz and tebuconazole applied in the field reduced FHB incidence and severity significantly by 56 and 73% respectively, and the numbers of kernels infected with F. graminearum and F. culmorum by 66.6%. These fungicides also reduced the DON content in kernels, semolina and bran, compared to the non treated samples. The correlation (r) between DON and the incidence of F. graminearum and F. culmorum-infected kernels was 0.90 in the original sample.