Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the main cereals as a source of food, forage and processed products for industry. World production is around 790 million tonnes of maize because as a staple food it provides more than one-third of the calories and proteins in some countries. Stored maize is a man-made ecosystem in which quality and nutritive changes occur because of interactions between physical, chemical and biological factors. Fungal spoilage and mycotoxin contamination are of major concern. Aspergillus and Fusarium species can infect maize pre-harvest, and mycotoxin contamination can increase if storage conditions are poorly managed. Prevention strategies to reduce the impact of mycotoxin in maize food and feed chains are based on using a hazard analysis critical control point systems (HACCP) approach. To reduce or prevent production of mycotoxins, drying should take place soon after harvest and as rapidly as feasible. The critical water content for safe storage corresponds to a water activity (a _w) of about 0.7. Problems in maintaining an adequately low a _w often occur in the tropics where high ambient humidity make the control of commodity moisture difficult. Damage grain is more prone to fungal invasion and, therefore, mycotoxin contamination. It is important to avoid damage before and during drying, and during storage. Drying maize on the cob before shelling is a very good practice. In storage, many insect species attack grain and the moisture that can accumulate from their activities provides ideal conditions for fungal activity. To avoid moisture and fungal contamination, it is essential that the numbers of insects in stored maize should be kept to a minimum. It is possible to control fungal growth in stored commodities by controlled atmospheres, preservatives or natural inhibitors. Studies using antioxidants, essential oils under different conditions of a _w, and temperature and controlled atmospheres have been evaluated as possible strategies for the reduction of fungal growth and mycotoxin (aflatoxins and fumonisins) in stored maize, but the cost of these treatments is likely to remain prohibitive for large-scale use.

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user’s needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important Fusarium species, including the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus Fusarium into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus Neocosmospora, with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic. Here, we test this claim and provide a phylogeny based on exonic nucleotide sequences of 19 orthologous protein-coding genes that strongly support the monophyly of Fusarium including the FSSC. We reassert the practical and scientific argument in support of a genus Fusarium that includes the FSSC and several other basal lineages, consistent with the longstanding use of this name among plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, students, and researchers with a stake in its taxonomy. In recognition of this monophyly, 40 species described as genus Neocosmospora were recombined in genus Fusarium, and nine others were renamed Fusarium. Here the global Fusarium community voices strong support for the inclusion of the FSSC in Fusarium, as it remains the best scientific, nomenclatural, and practical taxonomic option available.

Mycotoxins in small grains are a significant and long-standing problem. These contaminants may be produced by members of several fungal genera, including Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Claviceps, and Penicillium. Interventions that limit contamination can be made both pre-harvest and post-harvest. Many problems and strategies to control them and the toxins they produce are similar regardless of the location at which they are employed, while others are more common in some areas than in others. Increased knowledge of host-plant resistance, better agronomic methods, improved fungicide management, and better storage strategies all have application on a global basis. We summarize the major pre- and post-harvest control strategies currently in use. In the area of pre-harvest, these include resistant host lines, fungicides and their application guided by epidemiological models, and multiple cultural practices. In the area of post-harvest, drying, storage, cleaning and sorting, and some end-product processes were the most important at the global level. We also employed the Nominal Group discussion technique to identify and prioritize potential steps forward and to reduce problems associated with human and animal consumption of these grains. Identifying existing and potentially novel mechanisms to effectively manage mycotoxin problems in these grains is essential to ensure the safety of humans and domesticated animals that consume these grains.

With 744 million metric tons produced in 2017/2018, bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum) are the second most widely produced cereal on a global basis. Prevention or control of wheat diseases may have an enormous impact on global food security and safety.Fusariumhead blight is an economically debilitating disease of wheat that reduces the quantity and quality of grain harvested, and may lead to contamination with the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, which affects the health of humans and domesticated animals. Current climate change scenarios predict an increase in the number of epidemics caused by this disease. Multiple strategies are available for managing the disease including cultural practices, planting less-susceptible cultivars, crop rotation, and chemical and biological controls. None of these strategies, however, is completely effective by itself, and an integrated approach incorporating multiple controls simultaneously is the only effective strategy to limit the disease and reduce deoxynivalenol contamination in human food and animal feed chains. This review identifies the available tools and strategies for mitigating the damage that can result fromFusariumhead blight.