Fusarium species richness in mono- and dicotyledonous weeds and their ability to infect barley and wheat

Fusarium spp. cause diseases and yield and quality losses in cereal crops. They are known to occur in alternative hosts such as weeds. The aims of the present study were to isolate Fusarium spp. from stems, leaves, and inflorescences of different mono- and dicotyledonous weeds and to evaluate the pathogenicity of obtained species in barley and wheat. A total of 86 Fusarium isolates were obtained from 17 weed samples representing 53% mono- and 47% dicotyledonous host species. A member of F. chlamydosporum species complex (46.5%), F. proliferatum (26.7%), F. poae (9.3%), and F. verticillioides (8.1%) were the species most frequently isolated. Of the total of Fusarium obtained, 94.2% were pathogenic to wheat, 44.2% to barley, while 40.7% were pathogenic to both crops. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that different Fusarium spp. can occur in different weed tissues collected from a restricted area of a cultivable land. None of the weed species analysed presented symptoms of Fusarium infection. In this context, an integrated weed management becomes relevant to minimize the impact of Fusarium spp. on yield, grain quality, and mycotoxin contamination.