Interactions between Barley yellow dwarf virus and Fusarium spp. affecting development of fusarium head blight of wheat

Interactions between Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and Fusarium species causing Fusarium head blight (FHB) in winter wheat cvs Agent (susceptible to FHB) and Petrus (moderately resistant to FHB) were studied over three years (2001-2003) in outdoor pot experiments. FHB developed more rapidly in cv. Agent than in cv. Petrus. The spread of FHB was greater in BYDV-infected plants than in BYDV-free plants. Thousand grain weight (TGW) was reduced more in Fusarium-infected heads of cv. Agent than in cv. Petrus. A highly significant negative correlation was found between disease index and TGW in cv. Agent (r = -0.916), while in cv. Petrus the correlation was less significant (r = -0.765). Virus infection reduced TGW in cv. Petrus more than in cv. Agent. In plants with both infections, TGW reductions in cv. Petrus corresponded to those of BYDV infection, and in cv. Agent TGW was more diminished than in BYDV infection. Effects of different treatments determined over three years on ergosterol contents in grain were generally similar to effects on disease indices. Grain weight per ear and ear weight of the different treatments of both cultivars largely corresponded with the TGW results. Deoxynivalenol (DON) content in grain of cv. Agent infected with Fusarium spp. was 11-25 times higher compared to the corresponding treatments in cv. Petrus. The DON content in grain of plants of the two cultivars infected with both pathogens was higher than that of plants infected only with Fusarium over the three years.