Natural contamination of spring barley with group A trichothecene mycotoxins in south‐eastern Poland

Abstract

Strains (10 705) of microscopic fungi were isolated from spring barley heads in the region of Lublin (south‐eastern Poland). Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb was found in 418 (3.9%) of isolated strains. Group A trichothecene mycotoxins were detected in the collected barley kernels colonized by F. sporotrichioides, with Fusarium head blight symptoms. Among 24 samples analysed, 12 were T‐2 toxin positive in a range of contamination from 0.02 to 2.40 μg/g (average 0.45), while in five samples HT‐2 toxin ranged from 0.01 to 0.37 μg/g (average 0.23) and T‐2 tetraol was detected in two samples in a range of 0.01–0.21 μg/ g (average 0.11). Twelve samples were free of detectable amounts of the toxic metabolites analysed.

Keywords:

• Fusarium head blight
• Fusarium sporotrichioides
• Fusarium spp.