Occurrence of pyrrocidine and dihydroresorcylide production among Acremonium zeae populations from maize grown in different regions

Acremonium zeae is recognized as a protective endophyte of maize (Zea mays). Thus, it is a potential confounding variable in maize variety trials for resistance to pathogenic microbes and their mycotoxins. This fungus grows systemically in maize and produces pyrrocidines A and B, polyketide - amino acid derived antibiotics exhibiting potent in vitro activity against major stalk- and ear-rot pathogens of maize. An evaluation of a number of A. zeae isolates accessioned by the USDA Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection (NRRL) and CBS Culture Collections from 1969 to 1992 revealed that pyrrocidines were produced by 5 of I I isolates from maize grown in regions sharing a milder temperate climate with cold winters (e.g., Illinois, Nebraska, and Germany) and by 10 of 12 isolates from maize grown in warmer regions (e.g., North Carolina and Georgia, USA; Iran; and India). Cultures of A. zeae representing 13 populations isolated from maize seeds harvested from different regions and years were grown Oil potato dextrose agar in Petri dishes. Excised portions of the developing colony and underlying agar were extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography - atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface - mass spectrometry. Among 52 isolates representing four A. zeae populations from regions associated with drought and temperature stress (e.g., Arizona, California, and Texas) 49 isolates (94%) produced pyrrocidine A in amounts ranging from I to 248 ng (mean 29 ng), and 51 isolates (98%) produced pyrrocidine B in amounts ranging from 2 to 440 ng (mean 137 ng). In contrast, among 102 isolates representing nine A. zeae Populations from the midwestern corn belt (e.g., Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, and Nebraska), only one isolate produced pyrrocidine A (280 ng) and pyrrocidine B (411 ng). During the population study, a new secondary metabolite of A. zeae, dihydroresorcylide, was discovered, and its distribution among the population is described. Clonal populations of A. zeae endophytes differing in their ability to produce pyrrocidines may be distributed with seed of maize cultivars grown in commercial plantings.