Occurrence and distribution of Microdochium nivale and Fusarium species isolated from barley, durum and soft wheat grains in France from 2000 to 2002

Fusarium Head Blight of small grain cereal is a disease of growing concern in Europe. Along with Microdochium nivale, several species of Fusarium may be associated with the disease, including species that are potentially toxigenic. This paper describes the results of a large scale survey of the variety and frequency of different Fusarium species and M. nivale in France. A total of 749 soft wheat, durum wheat and barley samples were collected and analyzed from 2000 to 2002. The most frequent species isolated were F. graminearum, F. avenaceum and F. poae. The frequency of F. poae seems to have increased while M. nivale and F. culmorum appear less frequent than previously described in France. Other Fusarium species detected in decreasing prevalence were F. tricinctum, F. equiseti, F. acuminatum, F. sambucinum, F. sporotrichioides, F. moniliforme, F. heterosporum, F. subglutinans and F. oxysporum. All the most frequent pathogenic species and also the less pathogenic ones were frequently associated with individual fields. The implications of these associations for the protection of cereals crops and for contamination by mycotoxins are discussed.