Environmental Microbiology (2003) 6, 79-87

Duncan R. Simpson, Martha A. Thomsett and Paul Nicholson (2003)
Competitive interactions between Microdochium nivale var. majus, M. nivale var. nivale and Fusarium culmorum in planta and in vitro
Environmental Microbiology 6 (1), 79-87
Abstract: Microdochium nivale var. majus and var. nivale are economically important fungal pathogens of cereal seedlings, stem bases and ears, as is the toxigenic species Fusarium culmorum. Competition experiments on seedlings support an earlier report of differential host preference between the varieties of M. nivale on wheat and rye seedlings at 15°C, but showed that it does not extend across a broad range of temperatures. The studies showed that, although interaction is disadvantageous to the less virulent pathogen, it does not confer an advantage to the more virulent pathogen. In mixed inoculum experiments on wheat seedlings at 15°C and 20°C, F. culmorum suppressed the growth of both varieties of M. nivale. However, if M. nivale var. majus became established on the seedlings, it was able to co-suppress colonization of wheat seedlings by F. culmorum. In contrast M. nivale var. nivale did not suppress F. culmorum significantly. The growth of M. nivale var. majus and F. culmorum was also co-suppressed in liquid culture. Significantly, the accumulation of deoxynivalenol mycotoxin was also reduced in the mixed in vitro culture compared with axenic culture of F. culmorum. However, in vitro interaction studies on solidified media were of only limited use in predicting the outcome of competitions in planta.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Paul Nicholson

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Fusarium culmorum		United Kingdom
	Microdochium nivale	Rye (Secale cereale)	United Kingdom
	Microdochium nivale	Wheat (Triticum)	United Kingdom
	Microdochium majus	Wheat (Triticum)	United Kingdom