In recent years, the less-studied Alternaria mycotoxins have attracted increasing interest due to the lack of survey data and their ability to cause toxic effects in animals and humans. To fill the gap, the aim of this three-year survey was to investigate the presence and co-occurrence of Alternaria and other mycotoxins in a total of 433 cereal grain samples from Slovenian farms and agricultural cooperatives from 2014 to 2016. Using the multi-mycotoxin method, 14 mycotoxins were determined. In 53% of 433 analysed samples, contamination with at least one mycotoxin was found. Deoxynivalenol (DON) and tenuazonic acid (TeA) were present in 32% and 26% of cereal grain samples, respectively, whereas alternariol (AOH), tentoxin (TEN), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3- and 15-AcDON), and zearalenone (ZEN) were present in fewer than 15% of the samples. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was found in one rye sample, while diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), HT-2 and T-2 toxin, and fumonisins B₁ and B₂ (FB1 and FB2) were not detected. The highest maximum and median concentrations of Alternaria toxins were determined in spelt in 2016 (TeA, 2277 µg/kg and 203 µg/kg, respectively), and those of Fusarium toxins in wheat in 2015 (DON, 4082 µg/kg and 387 µg/kg, respectively). The co-occurrence of two or more mycotoxins was found in 43% of the positive samples. The correlations between Alternaria toxins were very weak but statistically significant (r: 0.15–0.17, p: 0.0042–0.0165). A well-known correlation between Fusarium toxins DON and ZEN was weak and highly significant (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001).

In this study, the relationships among and the taxonomic status of three closely related parasitic wasps that are widely used as biological control agents of cereal aphids, Aphidius uzbekistanicus Luzhetzki, Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani Perez, and Aphidius avenaphis (Fitch), were examined. Genetic divergence at an average of 6% was recorded between A. uzbekistanicus and A. rhopalosiphi by using the mitochondrial (mt) gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding region. Identical mtCOI gene sequences were observed in A. uzbekistanicus specimens that originated from Eurasia and in the North American species A. avenaphis. The haplotype fluctuation in A. rhopalosiphi specimens that originated from the west Palaearctic was an average of 1.5% (maximum, 2.4%). In contrast, specimens of A. uzbekistanicus from central and western parts of Eurasia were largely homogenous, with only a single mutation recorded in a specimen from eastern Europe (Serbia). The morphological and genetic diversity found in A. rhopalosiphi may suggest the existence of cryptic species, especially for lineages that have a large degree of mtCOI diversity and sympatric occurrence. The geometric morphometric analysis of stigma shape presented in this study demonstrated that members of A. uzbekistanicus have a shorter forewing r vein and a more elongated stigma, relative to those of A. avenaphis. Our research validates the use of stigma shape and flagellomere 1 color for morphological discrimination between wasp species.

The Asian chestnut gall wasp (ACGW), Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), is a global pest of chestnut trees. This pest was first recorded in Slovenia in 2005. Despite strict phytosanitary measures it was present throughout the country in native chestnut stands by 2013. We provide here the first overview of the parasitoids of ACGW in Slovenia recorded over a 4-year period and the direct interactions between parasitoid communities attacking hosts on chestnut and oaks at the same sites. A total of 27 species of native parasitoids that normally parasitize oak cynipids emerged from ACGW galls. The most abundant species were Torymus flavipes and Eupelmus urozonus. Seven species appear to be geographically well distributed in Slovenia. Twelve species of oak gall wasp were parasitized by 19 species of parasitoids. All native parasitoids have broad host ranges, so a large parasitoid diversity within this community can be expected. This is a novel study comparing the parasitoid communities associated with chestnut and oak galls.

This four-year study reports the occurrence of ergot alkaloids (EAs) in cereals intended for animal feeding collected in Slovenia. A total of 517 samples of cereals were analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the presence of EAs. The sample set included wheat, rye, triticale, oat, spelt and barley. The study revealed that 17% of the analysed cereal samples were contaminated with at least one ergot alkaloid. EAs have two epimeric forms: -ine and -inine. The incidence rates of the -ine and -inine forms in the analysed samples were 16% and 15%, respectively. The highest contamination rates were observed in rye (54%), oat (50%) and spelt (30%), where the highest mean concentrations of total EAs were also determined (502 µg/kg, 594 µg/kg and 715 µg/kg, respectively). However, the highest concentrations of total EAs were found in wheat and rye (4217 µg/kg and 4114 µg/kg, respectively). The predominant EAs were ergometrine, ergosine and ergocristinine. The occurrence of six or more ergot alkaloids was observed in 49% of the positive samples. A weak correlation (p = 0.284) in the positive samples was found between the mass of sclerotia and the total concentrations of EAs using the Spearman correlation coefficient.