Morphological and molecular identification of Fusarium head blight isolates from wheat in North of Iran

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most economically important and destructive fungal diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Golestan province, one of the most important zones of wheat cultivation in Iran, is also known for its high rate of digestive tract cancer, which has been attributed to many biotic factors such as fungal toxins. In order to investigate the distribution of toxicogenic Fusarium spp. in wheat in this region, 344 Fusarium isolates were collected from 7 sub-regions in Golestan province during 2010– 2011. Single-spore cultures were established using routine plant pathology methods and the isolates were identified using chemotyping analysis based on morphological criteria and species-specific PCR assays. The following Fusarium isolates were identified: F. graminearum, F. culmorum, F. equiseti, F. croockwellens, F. acuminatum, F. poae, F. lateritium, F. proliferatum and F. subglutinans. F. graminearum was the most dominant species, representing 48.2% of the isolates. PCR analysis using the speciesspecific primers Fg161 1/2 and OPT 1/2 confirmed 96.3% isolates as F. graminearum and 86.4% as F. culmorum. Isolates morphologically identified as F. subglutinans or F. proliferatum did not show any positive reaction in species-specific PCR. The present study revealed a high occurrence of FHB in Golestan province, especially in Gonbad-Kavoos sub-regions.