Detection of Trichothecene-producing Fusarium Species in Cereals in Northern Europe and Asia

Several toxigenic trichothecene-producing and nonproducing Fusarium species are involved in Fusarium head blight, which reduces both crop yield and quality in cereals. Climate change has altered crop production in many countries, and this in turn influences the pathogen populations. E.g. in northern areas a risk will be new toxigenic Fusarium species spreading to the north due to higher temperatures and the increased use of alternative hosts, such as maize, winter barley and winter oats. Traditional identifications and classifications of Fusarium species have been used for grouping isolates to species and grouping species according to shared morphological and cultural characteristics. During the last years researchers have started to use alternative ways for species identification and classification based on molecular data and phylogenetic analyses. The best way to identify and classify Fusarium isolates is the polyphasic approach by using all available characters.