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In this study, the in vitro effects of different Se concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, and 100 mg kg−1) from different Se forms (sodium selenite, sodium selenate, selenomethionine, and selenocystine) on the development of a Fusarium proliferatum strain isolated from rice were investigated. A concentration-dependent effect was detected. Se reduced fungal growth starting from 10 mg kg−1 and increasing the concentration (15, 20, and 100 mg kg−1) enhanced the inhibitory effect. Se bioactivity was also chemical form dependent. Selenocystine was found to be the most effective at the lowest concentration (5 mg kg−1). Complete growth inhibition was observed at 20 mg kg−1 of Se from selenite, selenomethionine, and selenocystine. Se speciation analysis revealed that fungus was able to change the Se speciation when the lowest Se concentration was applied. Scanning Electron Microscopy showed an alteration of the fungal morphology induced by Se. Considering that the inorganic forms have a higher solubility in water and are cheaper than organic forms, 20 mg kg−1 of Se from selenite can be suggested as the best combination suitable to inhibit F. proliferatum strain. The addition of low concentrations of Se from selenite to conventional fungicides may be a promising alternative approach for the control of Fusarium species.
Elisabetta Troni; Giovanni Beccari; Roberto D’Amato; Francesco Tini; David Baldo; Maria Teresa Senatore; Gian Maria Beone; Maria Chiara Fontanella; Antonio Prodi; Daniela Businelli; Lorenzo Covarelli. In Vitro Evaluation of the Inhibitory Activity of Different Selenium Chemical Forms on the Growth of a Fusarium proliferatum Strain Isolated from Rice Seedlings. Plants 2021, 10, 1725 .
AMA StyleElisabetta Troni, Giovanni Beccari, Roberto D’Amato, Francesco Tini, David Baldo, Maria Teresa Senatore, Gian Maria Beone, Maria Chiara Fontanella, Antonio Prodi, Daniela Businelli, Lorenzo Covarelli. In Vitro Evaluation of the Inhibitory Activity of Different Selenium Chemical Forms on the Growth of a Fusarium proliferatum Strain Isolated from Rice Seedlings. Plants. 2021; 10 (8):1725.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElisabetta Troni; Giovanni Beccari; Roberto D’Amato; Francesco Tini; David Baldo; Maria Teresa Senatore; Gian Maria Beone; Maria Chiara Fontanella; Antonio Prodi; Daniela Businelli; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2021. "In Vitro Evaluation of the Inhibitory Activity of Different Selenium Chemical Forms on the Growth of a Fusarium proliferatum Strain Isolated from Rice Seedlings." Plants 10, no. 8: 1725.
DNA methylation mediates organisms’ adaptations to environmental changes in a wide range of species. We investigated if a such a strategy is also adopted by Fusarium graminearum in regulating virulence toward its natural hosts. A virulent strain of this fungus was consecutively sub-cultured for 50 times (once a week) on potato dextrose agar. To assess the effect of subculturing on virulence, wheat seedlings and heads (cv. A416) were inoculated with subcultures (SC) 1, 23, and 50. SC50 was also used to re-infect (three times) wheat heads (SC50×3) to restore virulence. In vitro conidia production, colonies growth and secondary metabolites production were also determined for SC1, SC23, SC50, and SC50×3. Seedling stem base and head assays revealed a virulence decline of all subcultures, whereas virulence was restored in SC50×3. The same trend was observed in conidia production. The DNA isolated from SC50 and SC50×3 was subject to a methylation content-sensitive enzyme and double-digest, restriction-site-associated DNA technique (ddRAD-MCSeEd). DNA methylation analysis indicated 1024 genes, whose methylation levels changed in response to the inoculation on a healthy host after subculturing. Several of these genes are already known to be involved in virulence by functional analysis. These results demonstrate that the physiological shifts following sub-culturing have an impact on genomic DNA methylation levels and suggest that the ddRAD-MCSeEd approach can be an important tool for detecting genes potentially related to fungal virulence.
Francesco Tini; Giovanni Beccari; Gianpiero Marconi; Andrea Porceddu; Micheal Sulyok; Donald Gardiner; Emidio Albertini; Lorenzo Covarelli. Identification of Putative Virulence Genes by DNA Methylation Studies in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Cells 2021, 10, 1192 .
AMA StyleFrancesco Tini, Giovanni Beccari, Gianpiero Marconi, Andrea Porceddu, Micheal Sulyok, Donald Gardiner, Emidio Albertini, Lorenzo Covarelli. Identification of Putative Virulence Genes by DNA Methylation Studies in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Cells. 2021; 10 (5):1192.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFrancesco Tini; Giovanni Beccari; Gianpiero Marconi; Andrea Porceddu; Micheal Sulyok; Donald Gardiner; Emidio Albertini; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2021. "Identification of Putative Virulence Genes by DNA Methylation Studies in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum." Cells 10, no. 5: 1192.
BACKGROUND Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a complex disease of wheat and barley caused by several Fusarium species. In recent years, a variation in the composition of the FHB community has been observed in several wheat cultivation areas across the world. In detail, F. avenaceum and F. poae increased their frequencies, while, a lower F. graminearum and F. culmorum incidence was simultaneously observed. These shifts within the FHB complex might have been caused by different factors, including the selective pressure caused by fungicides used to control the disease in the field. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate, both in in vitro experiments and in field trials, the activity of commonly used fungicides of wheat (tebuconazole, metconazole, prothioconazole and prochloraz) towards the above mentioned four Fusarium species. RESULTS A preliminary in vitro assay revealed that low concentrations of all tested fungicides caused the incomplete reduction of fungal development. Furthermore, F. poae and F. avenaceum showed, at the same time, a lower sensitivity to all tested fungicides. In field trials, all fungicides showed an activity against the four Fusarium species. However, F. avenaceum exhibited a reduced sensitivity to metconazole. The lower efficacy of metconazole towards F. avenaceum was also confirmed by an additional in vitro experiment on several F. avenaceum and F. graminearum different strains. CONCLUSION The selective pressure exerted by the extensive use of certain fungicides may influence population dynamics of Fusarium species due to their different sensitivity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Francesco Tini; Giovanni Beccari; Andrea Onofri; Emiliano Ciavatta; Donald M. Gardiner; Lorenzo Covarelli. Fungicides may have differential efficacies towards the main causal agents of Fusarium head blight of wheat. Pest Management Science 2020, 76, 3738 -3748.
AMA StyleFrancesco Tini, Giovanni Beccari, Andrea Onofri, Emiliano Ciavatta, Donald M. Gardiner, Lorenzo Covarelli. Fungicides may have differential efficacies towards the main causal agents of Fusarium head blight of wheat. Pest Management Science. 2020; 76 (11):3738-3748.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFrancesco Tini; Giovanni Beccari; Andrea Onofri; Emiliano Ciavatta; Donald M. Gardiner; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2020. "Fungicides may have differential efficacies towards the main causal agents of Fusarium head blight of wheat." Pest Management Science 76, no. 11: 3738-3748.
In this study, durum wheat kernels harvested in three climatically different Italian cultivation areas (Emilia Romagna, Umbria and Sardinia) in 2015, were analyzed with a combination of different isolation methods to determine their fungal communities, with a focus on Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex composition, and to detect fungal secondary metabolites in the grains. The genus Alternaria was the main component of durum wheat mycobiota in all investigated regions, with the Central Italian cultivation area showing the highest incidence of this fungal genus and of its secondary metabolites. Fusarium was the second most prevalent genus of the fungal community in all cultivation environments, even if regional differences in species composition were detected. In particular, Northern areas showed the highest Fusarium incidence, followed by Central and then Southern cultivation areas. Focusing on the FHB complex, a predominance of Fusarium poae, in particular in Northern and Central cultivation areas, was found. Fusarium graminearum, in the analyzed year, was mainly detected in Emilia Romagna. Because of the highest Fusarium incidence, durum wheat harvested in the Northern cultivation area showed the highest presence of Fusarium secondary metabolites. These results show that durum wheat cultivated in Northern Italy may be subject to a higher FHB infection risk and to Fusarium mycotoxins accumulation.
Giovanni Beccari; Antonio Prodi; Maria Teresa Senatore; Virgilio Balmas; Francesco Tini; Andrea Onofri; Luca Pedini; Michael Sulyok; Luca Brocca; Lorenzo Covarelli. Cultivation Area Affects the Presence of Fungal Communities and Secondary Metabolites in Italian Durum Wheat Grains. Toxins 2020, 12, 97 .
AMA StyleGiovanni Beccari, Antonio Prodi, Maria Teresa Senatore, Virgilio Balmas, Francesco Tini, Andrea Onofri, Luca Pedini, Michael Sulyok, Luca Brocca, Lorenzo Covarelli. Cultivation Area Affects the Presence of Fungal Communities and Secondary Metabolites in Italian Durum Wheat Grains. Toxins. 2020; 12 (2):97.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Beccari; Antonio Prodi; Maria Teresa Senatore; Virgilio Balmas; Francesco Tini; Andrea Onofri; Luca Pedini; Michael Sulyok; Luca Brocca; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2020. "Cultivation Area Affects the Presence of Fungal Communities and Secondary Metabolites in Italian Durum Wheat Grains." Toxins 12, no. 2: 97.
Fusarium head blight (FHB) results in yield loss and damaging contamination of cereal grains and can be caused by several Fusarium species. The objective of the present study was to determine, in a greenhouse experiment on winter wheat, how FHB was affected by timing of infection (0, 3, 6 or 9 days after anthesis, daa) by the aggressive species Fusarium graminearum compared to the relatively weak species Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium poae and Fusarium acuminatum. Measures of FHB development were: symptoms in spikes (visually assessed), fungal biomass (quantified by real time quantitative PCR) and accumulation of fungal secondary metabolites (quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) in kernels. With regard to symptoms, F. graminearum was unaffected by inoculation timing, while the weaker pathogens caused greater disease severity at later timings. In contrast, the accumulation of F. graminearum biomass was strongly affected by inoculation timing (3 daa ≥ 6 daa ≥ 0 daa = 9 daa), while colonization by the weaker pathogens was less influenced. Similarly, F. graminearum secondary metabolite accumulation was affected by inoculation timing (3 daa ≥ 6 daa ≥ 0 daa = 9 daa), while that of the weaker species was less affected. However, secondary metabolites produced by these weaker species tended to be higher from intermediate-late inoculations (6 daa). Overall, infection timing appeared to play a role particularly in F. graminearum colonization and secondary metabolite accumulation. However, secondary metabolites of weaker Fusarium species may be relatively more abundant when environmental conditions promote spore dispersal later in anthesis, while secondary metabolites produced by F. graminearum are relatively favored by earlier conducive conditions.
Giovanni Beccari; Consuelo Arellano; Lorenzo Covarelli; Francesco Tini; Michael Sulyok; Christina Cowger. Effect of wheat infection timing on Fusarium head blight causal agents and secondary metabolites in grain. International Journal of Food Microbiology 2018, 290, 214 -225.
AMA StyleGiovanni Beccari, Consuelo Arellano, Lorenzo Covarelli, Francesco Tini, Michael Sulyok, Christina Cowger. Effect of wheat infection timing on Fusarium head blight causal agents and secondary metabolites in grain. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2018; 290 ():214-225.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Beccari; Consuelo Arellano; Lorenzo Covarelli; Francesco Tini; Michael Sulyok; Christina Cowger. 2018. "Effect of wheat infection timing on Fusarium head blight causal agents and secondary metabolites in grain." International Journal of Food Microbiology 290, no. : 214-225.
In recent years, due to the negative impact of toxigenic mycobiota and of the accumulation of their secondary metabolites in malting barley grains, monitoring the evolution of fungal communities in a certain cultivation area as well as detecting the different mycotoxins present in the raw material prior to malting and brewing processes have become increasingly important. In this study, a survey was carried out on malting barley samples collected after their harvest in the Umbria region (central Italy). Samples were analyzed to determine the composition of the fungal community, to identify the isolated Fusarium species, to quantify fungal secondary metabolites in the grains and to characterize the in vitro mycotoxigenic profile of a subset of the isolated Fusarium strains. The fungal community of barley grains was mainly composed of microorganisms belonging to the genus Alternaria (77%), followed by those belonging to the genus Fusarium (27%). The Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex was represented by nine species with the predominance of Fusarium poae (37%), followed by Fusarium avenaceum (23%), Fusarium graminearum (22%) and Fusarium tricinctum (7%). Secondary metabolites biosynthesized by Alternaria and Fusarium species were present in the analyzed grains. Among those biosynthesized by Fusarium species, nivalenol and enniatins were the most prevalent ones. Type A trichothecenes (T-2 and HT-2 toxins) as well as beauvericin were also present with a high incidence. Conversely, the number of samples contaminated with deoxynivalenol was low. Conjugated forms, such as deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside and HT-2-glucoside, were detected for the first time in malting barley grains cultivated in the surveyed area. In addition, strains of F. avenaceum and F. tricinctum showed the ability to biosynthesize in vitro high concentrations of enniatins. The analysis of fungal secondary metabolites, both in the grains and in vitro, revealed also the presence of other compounds, for which further investigations will be required. The combination of microbiological analyses, of molecular biology assays and of multi-mycotoxin screening shed light on the complexity of the fungal community and its secondary metabolites released in malting barley.
Giovanni Beccari; Maria Teresa Senatore; Francesco Tini; Michael Sulyok; Lorenzo Covarelli. Fungal community, Fusarium head blight complex and secondary metabolites associated with malting barley grains harvested in Umbria, central Italy. International Journal of Food Microbiology 2018, 273, 33 -42.
AMA StyleGiovanni Beccari, Maria Teresa Senatore, Francesco Tini, Michael Sulyok, Lorenzo Covarelli. Fungal community, Fusarium head blight complex and secondary metabolites associated with malting barley grains harvested in Umbria, central Italy. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2018; 273 ():33-42.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Beccari; Maria Teresa Senatore; Francesco Tini; Michael Sulyok; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2018. "Fungal community, Fusarium head blight complex and secondary metabolites associated with malting barley grains harvested in Umbria, central Italy." International Journal of Food Microbiology 273, no. : 33-42.
In this study, conducted for three years on eleven malting barley varieties cultivated in central Italy, the incidence of different mycotoxigenic fungal genera, the identification of the Fusarium species associated with the Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) complex, and kernels contamination with deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2 mycotoxins were determined. The influence of climatic conditions on Fusarium infections and FHB complex composition was also investigated. Fusarium species were always present in the three years and the high average and maximum temperatures during anthesis mainly favored their occurrence. The FHB complex was subject to changes during the three years and the main causal agents were F. poae, F. avenaceum, F. tricinctum and F. graminearum, which, even if constantly present, never represented the principal FHB agent. The relative incidence of Fusarium species changed because of climatic conditions occurring during the seasons. The FHB complex was composed of many different Fusarium species and some of them were associated with a specific variety and/or with specific weather parameters, indicating that the interaction between a certain plant genotype and climatic conditions may influence the presence of Fusarium spp. causing infections. With regard to mycotoxin contamination, T-2 toxin, in some cases, was found in kernels at levels that exceeded EU recommended values.
Giovanni Beccari; Antonio Prodi; Francesco Tini; Umberto Bonciarelli; Andrea Onofri; Souheib Oueslati; Marwa Limayma; Lorenzo Covarelli. Changes in the Fusarium Head Blight Complex of Malting Barley in a Three-Year Field Experiment in Italy. Toxins 2017, 9, 120 .
AMA StyleGiovanni Beccari, Antonio Prodi, Francesco Tini, Umberto Bonciarelli, Andrea Onofri, Souheib Oueslati, Marwa Limayma, Lorenzo Covarelli. Changes in the Fusarium Head Blight Complex of Malting Barley in a Three-Year Field Experiment in Italy. Toxins. 2017; 9 (4):120.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Beccari; Antonio Prodi; Francesco Tini; Umberto Bonciarelli; Andrea Onofri; Souheib Oueslati; Marwa Limayma; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2017. "Changes in the Fusarium Head Blight Complex of Malting Barley in a Three-Year Field Experiment in Italy." Toxins 9, no. 4: 120.
A study was carried out on 43 malting barley samples collected in 2013 across the Umbria region (central Italy) to determine the incidence of the principal mycotoxigenic fungal genera, to identify the Fusarium species isolated from the grains, and to detect the presence of 34 fungal secondary metabolites by liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry. The multimycotoxin-method development involved the evaluation of both a two-step solvent and QuEChERS protocol for metabolite extraction. The former protocol was selected because of better accuracy, which was evaluated on the basis of spike-recovery experiments. The most frequently isolated fungal species belonged to the genera Alternaria and Fusarium. The predominant Fusarium species was F. avenaceum, followed by F. graminearum. HT-2 toxin was the most frequently detected mycotoxin, followed by enniatin B, enniatin B1, T-2 toxin, and nivalenol. As a consequence of the observed mixed fungal infections, mycotoxin co-occurrence was also detected. A combination of mycological and mycotoxin analyses allowed the ability to obtain comprehensive information about the presence of mycotoxigenic fungi and their contaminants in malting barley cultivated in a specific geographic area.
Giovanni Beccari; Leonardo Caproni; Francesco Tini; Silvio Uhlig; Lorenzo Covarelli. Presence of Fusarium Species and Other Toxigenic Fungi in Malting Barley and Multi-Mycotoxin Analysis by Liquid Chromatography–High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2016, 64, 4390 -4399.
AMA StyleGiovanni Beccari, Leonardo Caproni, Francesco Tini, Silvio Uhlig, Lorenzo Covarelli. Presence of Fusarium Species and Other Toxigenic Fungi in Malting Barley and Multi-Mycotoxin Analysis by Liquid Chromatography–High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2016; 64 (21):4390-4399.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Beccari; Leonardo Caproni; Francesco Tini; Silvio Uhlig; Lorenzo Covarelli. 2016. "Presence of Fusarium Species and Other Toxigenic Fungi in Malting Barley and Multi-Mycotoxin Analysis by Liquid Chromatography–High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 64, no. 21: 4390-4399.
Eukaryotic filamentous plant pathogens secrete effector proteins that modulate the host cell to facilitate infection. Computational effector candidate identification and subsequent functional characterization delivers valuable insights into plant-pathogen interactions. However, effector prediction in fungi has been challenging due to a lack of unifying sequence features such as conserved N-terminal sequence motifs. Fungal effectors are commonly predicted from secretomes based on criteria such as small size and cysteine-rich, which suffers from poor accuracy. We present EffectorP which pioneers the application of machine learning to fungal effector prediction. EffectorP improves fungal effector prediction from secretomes based on a robust signal of sequence-derived properties, achieving sensitivity and specificity of over 80%. Features that discriminate fungal effectors from secreted noneffectors are predominantly sequence length, molecular weight and protein net charge, as well as cysteine, serine and tryptophan content. We demonstrate that EffectorP is powerful when combined with in planta expression data for predicting high-priority effector candidates. EffectorP is the first prediction program for fungal effectors based on machine learning. Our findings will facilitate functional fungal effector studies and improve our understanding of effectors in plant-pathogen interactions. EffectorP is available at http://effectorp.csiro.au.
Jana Sperschneider; Donald Gardiner; Peter Dodds; Francesco Tini; Lorenzo Covarelli; Karam Singh; John M. Manners; Jen Taylor. E ffector P: predicting fungal effector proteins from secretomes using machine learning. New Phytologist 2015, 210, 743 -761.
AMA StyleJana Sperschneider, Donald Gardiner, Peter Dodds, Francesco Tini, Lorenzo Covarelli, Karam Singh, John M. Manners, Jen Taylor. E ffector P: predicting fungal effector proteins from secretomes using machine learning. New Phytologist. 2015; 210 (2):743-761.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJana Sperschneider; Donald Gardiner; Peter Dodds; Francesco Tini; Lorenzo Covarelli; Karam Singh; John M. Manners; Jen Taylor. 2015. "E ffector P: predicting fungal effector proteins from secretomes using machine learning." New Phytologist 210, no. 2: 743-761.