Fusarium species have been isolated from over 100 plant species in Serbia. From the economic aspect, they have been and still are the most important for the production and storage of small grains and maize, and are exceptionally important for some other species. Total of 63 species, 35 varieties (var.) and 19 specialised forms (f. sp.) of basic species, particularly of F. oxysporum (4 var. and 12 f. sp.) and F. solani (7 var. and 3 f. sp.) were identified. Species F. langsethiae and F. thapsinum, recently identified, have been isolated from wheat and s o r g h u m seeds, respectively. F. graminearum is the most important pathogen for wheat, barely and maize, while F. poae is also important for wheat and barely. Furthermore, species of the section Liseola (F. verticillioides, F. subglutinans and F. proliferatum) are important for maize and sorghum. In recent years, species of the section Liseola have been increasingly occurring in wheat and barley. The June-October period in Serbia is the most critical period for quality maintenance of stored maize, as the abundance and frequency of fungi, particularly of toxigenic species of the genus Fusarium, are the greatest during that period. In general, there is a lack of data about fusarioses of industrial crops in Serbia. There are mere descriptions of specific cases in which the development of Fusarium species was mostly emphasised by agroecological conditions. The presence of recently determined Fusarium species in kernels of these plant species indicates their importance from the aspect of the yield reduction and grain quality debasement and the mycotoxin contamination. Root rot and plant wilt are characteristic symptoms of fusarioses for forage and vegetable crops, while pathological changes in fruits provoked by Fusarium species are less frequent. F. oxysporum and its specialised forms prevail in these plant species.

Fusarium graminearum as the main causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and its ability to produce trichothecenes was investigated by molecular techniques. A total of 37 strains isolated from the wheat, harvested in Serbia in 2005, 2008 and 2015, and previously designated by morphological observation as F. graminearum, were used for trichothecene genotypes characterization. The strains were identified using the species-specific primer set FG16R/FG16F while genotypic characterization was done using specific TRI13 and TRI3 sequences of the trichothecene gene clusters. The PCR assays identified all strains as species of F. graminearum sensu stricto with the DON/15-ADON genotype. The quantification of the mycotoxin (DON) was performed using the biochemical assay. The high levels of DON (>20,000 µg kg⁻¹) were recorded in all of the strains from 2005, four strains from 2008 and two strains from 2015. Weather data of the investigated seasons, showed that the optimal temperature, frequent rains and high relative humidity (RH) was very favourable for the development of F. graminearum, affecting the DON biosynthesis.

In Serbia, aspergillus ear rot caused by the disease pathogen Aspergillus parasiticus (A. parasiticus) was first detected in 2012 under both field and storage conditions. Global climate shifts, primarily warming, favour the contamination of maize with aflatoxins in temperate climates, including Serbia. A five-year study (2012–2016) comprising of 46 A. parasiticus strains isolated from maize kernels was performed to observe the morphological, molecular, pathogenic, and toxigenic traits of this pathogen. The HPLC method was applied to evaluate mycotoxin concentrations in this causal agent. The A. parasiticus isolates synthesised mainly aflatoxin AFB1 (84.78%). The percentage of isolates synthesising aflatoxin AFG1 (15.22%) was considerably lower. Furthermore, the concentration of AFG1 was higher than that of AFB1 in eight isolates. The polyphase approach, used to characterise isolates, showed that they were A. parasiticus species. This identification was verified by the multiplex RLFP-PCR detection method with the use of restriction enzymes. These results form an excellent baseline for further studies with the aim of application in the production, processing, and storage of cereal grains and seeds, and in technological processes to ensure the safe production of food and feed.

The main aim of this research was to study the effect of two sowing times (early and late) on Fusarium and fumonisin contamination and some yield component traits of two maize hybrids from the FAO maturity groups 500 (ZP 560) and 600 (ZP 666) within a two-year growing season (2016–2017). F. verticillioides and F. subglutinans have been identified as Fusarium ear rot (FER) pathogens and potential producers of B-type fumonisins (FBs), with F. verticillioides as the predominant Fusarium species in both years. The incidence of F. verticillioides and FB levels were affected by sowing time and maize hybridity. With early sowing and the mid-maturity hybrid ZP 560, F. verticillioides and FB contamination were lower than with late sowing and the late-maturity hybrid ZP 666. Yield parameters also differed significantly between sowing time and maize hybrid treatments. Early sowing increased ear length (EL), number of grains per ear (NGE), grain weight per ear (GWE), and grain yield per hectare (GY). The late-maturity hybrid ZP 666 had higher yield component traits and GY than the mid-maturity hybrid ZP 560. EL, GWE, thousand-grain weight (TGW), and GY were affected by year. Interactions between sowing times and maize hybrids were highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) for FB level, GWE, and GY. The obtained results indicate the importance of applying early sowing to achieve high maize grain yields with lower contamination by F. verticillioides and FBs. Although mid-maturity hybrid ZP 560 and late-maturity hybrid ZP 666 showed significant differences in terms of levels of F. verticillioides and FB contamination, both were susceptible to F. verticillioides, with high FB levels. These results should be useful to breeders of maize hybrids to create genotypes more resistant to these fungal contaminants.

Diversity of trichothecene chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum isolated from kernels of wheat, barley and maize grown under various agro-ecological conditions on 13 locations was analysed. Sixteen strains were tested for the effective capability to produce 15-ADON, 3-ADON and NIV, by using the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system. Fourteen out of sixteen analyzed strains produced 15-ADON, while remaining two were of the 3-ADON chemotype. Multiplex PCR reaction with two sets of specific primers for TRI3 and TRI12 genes was applied to identify trichothecene chemotypes (3-ADON, 15-ADON and NIV). The expected sizes of amplified fragments for TRI3 gene primer set are 840 bp (NIV), 610 bp (15-ADON) and 243 bp (3-ADON). The amplified fragments for TRI12 gene primer set should be 840 bp (NIV), 670 bp (15-ADON) and 410 bp (3-ADON). All F. graminearum isolates were of the 15-ADON chemotype, i.e. their bands were 610 bp and 670 bp size for TRI3 and TRI12 genes, respectively. The results indicate that genotypic characterisation does not correspond to determined chemotypes and this is a reason why the analyses for the risk of mycotoxins contamination should not be based only on trichotecene genotype determination. Due to high temperature differences in cereal growing regions in Serbia, the presence of other chemotypes could be expected. In order to determine whether besides 15-ADON there are other F. graminearum chemotypes on wheat, barley and maize kernels, further studies should include a large number of isolates from different agro-ecological conditions.

The cosmopolitan species Fusarium graminearum Schwabe directly reduces yield, as well as grain quality of cereals, due to its ability to synthesize mycotoxins. Previously it was considered to be on...