Phenotypic characterisation and evaluation of resistance to Fusarium ear rot, fumonisin contamination and agronomic traits in a collection of maize landraces

Lorenzo Stagnati; Alessandra Lanubile; Giovanna Soffritti; Paola Giorni; Graziano Rossi; Adriano Marocco; Matteo Busconi

doi:10.1071/CP23080

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 75(4)

Phenotypic characterisation and evaluation of resistance to Fusarium ear rot, fumonisin contamination and agronomic traits in a collection of maize landraces

Lorenzo Stagnati ^A ^B ^# , Alessandra Lanubile

^A ^B ^# ^* , Giovanna Soffritti ^A , Paola Giorni ^A , Graziano Rossi ^C , Adriano Marocco ^A ^B and Matteo Busconi ^A ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, Piacenza 29122, Italy.

^B Research Centre for Biodiversity and Ancient DNA, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, Piacenza 29122, Italy.

^C Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Università di Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, Pavia 27100, Italy.

^* Correspondence to: alessandra.lanubile@unicatt.it

^# These authors contributed equally to this paper

Handling Editor: Zed Rengel

Crop & Pasture Science 75, CP23080 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP23080

Submitted: 17 March 2023 Accepted: 20 March 2024 Published: 4 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Maize is a major crop in Italy and is constantly affected by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides, producing ear rot and grain contamination by fumonisins. Finding new genotypes resistant to Fusarium infection is an important goal for the improvement of maize cultivation.

Aims

The objective of this work was to test a collection of 33 traditional landraces from the Emilia-Romagna (Italy) region for Fusarium ear rot (FER) severity, fumonisin content, and their agronomic performance.

Methods

Primary ears were artificially inoculated with a toxigenic strain of F. verticillioides in a 2-year experimental trial. The landrace ‘Nostrano di Storo’ and a commercial hybrid of FAO maturity class 300 were also included and used as comparisons representing a well-known and highly valued landrace and a modern flint hybrid, respectively.

Key results

The collection showed great phenotypic variability for all the agronomic traits assessed and responded differently to the Fusarium infection with percentages of FER ranging from 6.6% to 49.3%, and fumonisins from 4.3 mg/kg to 34.5 mg/kg. Thirteen and six landraces displayed FER percentages and fumonisin content very similar to the hybrid, respectively. Moreover, eight landraces exhibited grain yield values comparable to the hybrid. Interestingly, Va221, Va227 and EMR03 showed the best combination among these three traits.

Conclusions

This local material can be considered suitable for breeding purposes targeting the development of FER and fumonisin resistant germplasm.

Implications

The collection may represent a resource for future research aimed at evaluating the response to multiple pathogens and their associated mycotoxins.

Keywords: agrobiodiversity, ear morphology, Emilia-Romagna region, fumonisins, Fusarium verticillioides, grain yield, kernel type, maize germplasm.

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