Heidi Udnes Aamot
Research Scientist
Biography
I am a plant pathologist, with focus on Fusarium and mycotoxins in cereals (diagnostics, biology, disease control). I am also involved in research within seed pathology and seed borne diseases.
Education: Master’s degree in Plant Sciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (2007). PhD in Plant Pathology at NIBIO and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (2013).
Abstract
Faba beans and other cool climate legumes are well suited for cultivation in Vestfold and Østfold in the Norwegian south-east because of their requirement for long growing seasons and are desired due to their high protein content and beneficial biological nitrogen fixation properties. Including such crops in rotations is an advantage due to the subsequent reduction in costs and CO2 emissions from fertilizer production. Additionally, their presence in rotations could be a tool for improving integrated pest management in cereals by reducing disease pressure. A challenge specifically related to the management of faba bean crops is the disease chocolate spot (cs) caused by pathogen species in the genus Botrytis, typically Botrytis fabae Sardiña. and Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr. Management of chocolate spot epidemics is limited by the number of fungicides available to commercial growers, and the development of fungicide resistance is a challenge currently being investigated. A randomized factorial split-plot field trial with 3 replicates was set up in at Vollebekk research farm in Ås in the spring of 2023 and separated by early and late varieties. For each section three seed rates, two cultivars and four fungicide treatments were used. The severity of disease was scored, the developmental stages of the crops were recorded, and the resulting yield was dried and weighed. By collecting diseased leaves and making single spore isolates, the pathogens available in the field were sequenced using a NEP2 primer and tested against the active compounds in the currently utilized fungicide Signum®. Causal organisms were B. fabae and B. cinerea, there was no relationship between severity and fungal species, and no noteworthy signs of resistance to fungicide compounds were found. Results showed significant differences in chocolate spot levels between treated and untreated plots in early and late varieties, and the severity was lowest in plots treated with Elatus® Era, a fungicide currently unavailable for use in faba beans. Yield and chocolate spot correlated negatively, and the yield was highest in plots treated after the first symptoms appeared. The difference in yield between this treatment and untreated plots was significant in late varieties. Canopy density measured by sowing rate had no significant effect on disease severity in either early or late varieties, although the correlation was positive in both.
Authors
Ingerd Skow Hofgaard Guro Brodal Heidi Udnes Aamot Marit Almvik Aina Lundon Russenes Morten Lillemo Simon Graham EdwardsAbstract
Oat harvested from plants infested with plant pathogenic fungi within the Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex may sometimes contain high levels of mycotoxins, which makes the grain unsuitable for food and feed. Fusarium graminearum, a deoxynivalenol (DON) producer, and Fusarium langsethiae, a T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 toxin (HT2) producer, are commonly occurring in Norwegian oats. We have analysed grains of Nordic oat varieties and breeding lines for the content of mycotoxins and DNA of Fusarium species belonging to the FHB disease complex (Hofgaard et al. 2022). The grains were harvested from field trials located in South-East Norway in the years 2011-2020. The ranking of oat varieties according to HT2+T2 levels corresponded with the ranking according to the DNA levels of F. langsethiae. However, this ranking did not resemble the ranking for DON and F. graminearum DNA. Our results implies that a moderate resistance to DON producers does not guarantee a moderate resistance to HT2+T2 producers. Separate tests are therefore necessary to determine the resistance towards DON and HT2+T2 producers in oats. This creates practical challenges for the screening of FHB resistance in oats as todays’ screening focuses on resistance to F. graminearum and DON. We identified oat varieties with generally low levels of both mycotoxins and FHB pathogens which should be promoted to mitigate mycotoxin risk in Norwegian oats.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
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