NOVEL TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING FUSARIUM RESISTANT AND TOXIN FREE WHEAT FOR EUROPE 

Starting date: September 1, 2001 Ending date: August 31, 2005                            Contact: Uwe.Scholz@boku.ac.at 

8 Project Partner from six European countries                                                          Scientific Officer EU: Guillermo Cardon

Ifa Tulln (A)          SEJET (DK)             SZD (A)          SURL (D)          CRC (HU)          UCD (IRL)          ZAG-BOKU (A)          JIC (UK)

Wheat is Europe's most important cereal crop, cultivated on over 16 Million ha, yielding over 88 Million metric tons per year. The wheat quality and consumer safety is threatened by Fusarium Ear Blight (FEB) caused by Gibberella zeae, Fusarium culmorum, G. avenacea, F. sporotrichoides, F. poae and other Fusarium species. Most of the wheat varieties grown today are susceptible to this disease. Crop management and chemical control measures to prevent the disease and associated mycotoxin contamination are either not available and/or not feasible. Besides the yield impact of the disease, several toxins produced by the fungus may enter human and animal food chain. The most prevalent mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. are trichothecenes like deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV) and T2-toxin, which may cause serious illness and imuno-repression in humans. The development and cultivation of resistant varieties is the most reliable and environmentally sound means to combat this disease. Initiatives on European, national and regional level to tackle the disease are funded and involve a wide range of expertise from public and private research institutions as well as breeding and food processing companies.

Project structure:

Workpackage 1 Phenotyping            Workpackage 2 Genotyping             Workpackage 3 Candidate resistance genes and PR-Proteins

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