Fungal pathogens of the genus Fusarium in winter wheat Triticum aestivum L. protected with fungicides in north-eastern Poland

Various diagnostic methods were used to evaluate the effect of fungicide protection on the prevalence of pathogenic fungi in wheat grain. Winter wheat cv. Nutka and Zyta was grown during a field experiment established in the Production and Experimental Station in Bałcyny in 2006–2007. The experimental factor was chemical crop protection: epoxiconazole, kresoxim-methyl and fenpropimorph applied at growth stages BBCH 33–35 as well as dimoxystrobin and epoxiconazole applied at BBCH 51–53. In this experiment, microscopic observations and conventional PCR assays were used as complementary methods. The quantification of Fusarium poae DNA by qPCR demonstrated the effectiveness of chemical protection against the analyzed fungal species. Lower monthly precipitation levels and higher daily temperatures intensified grain infections, in particular those caused by F. poae. A significant correlation was determined between the number of F. poae cultures isolated from winter wheat grain and the quantity of pathogenic DNA in grain identified by qPCR. Grain infections caused by F. poae lowered yield and thousand seed weight