Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination Levels

Aksel Bernhoft; Juan Wang; Carlo Leifert

doi:10.3390/agronomy12040797

Back

Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination Levels

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination Levels

Aksel Bernhoft, Juan Wang and Carlo Leifert

Agronomy (Basel), Vol.12(4), pp.1-22

26/03/2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040797

Appears in Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

Files and links (2)

pdf

Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination Levels736.89 kBDownload View

Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access

url

Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination LevelsView

Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open

Metrics

1 File views/ downloads

14 Record Views

8 Times Cited - Web of Science

See more details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites

Abstract

deoxynivalenol (DON)

Fusarium head blight

Fusarium mycotoxins

HT-2 toxin

T-2 toxin

zearalenone (ZEA)

Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals constitute major problems for animal and human health worldwide. A range of plant pathogenic Fusarium species that can infect cereal plants in the field are considered the most important source of mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), T-2 toxin, and HT-2 toxin, in small-grain cereal crops in temperate climates. In this article, we (i) critically review the available knowledge on the impact of contrasting production systems (organic versus conventional) and specific agronomic parameters on the occurrence and concentrations of DON, ZEA, and T-2/HT-2 in small-grain cereals (wheat, oats, barley, and rye), and (ii) discuss Fusarium mycotoxin risks in the context of the need to develop more sustainable cereal production systems. Overall, the available evidence from studies of acceptable scientific quality suggests that the incidence and concentrations of Fusarium mycotoxin are lower in organic compared with conventional cereals. Specifically, 24 comparisons showed lower mycotoxin levels in organic production, 16 detected no significant difference, and only 2 showed higher levels in organic production. When the mean concentrations from all studies were compared, conventionally produced cereals had 62%, 110%, and 180% higher concentrations of DON, ZEA, and T-2/HT-2, respectively, than organic cereals. Overall, published studies on the effects of specific agronomic practices on mycotoxin levels suggest that diverse crop rotations and high soil organic matter content/biological activity are associated with a lower risk of Fusarium mycotoxin contamination, whereas (i) high mineral nitrogen fertiliser inputs, (ii) some fungicides and herbicides, and (iii) minimum or no tillage may increase the risks of Fusarium mycotoxin contamination in cereals. The management of Fusarium head blight and mycotoxins, therefore, requires a preventative, integrated, holistic agronomic approach.

Details

Title: Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination Levels
Creators: Aksel Bernhoft - Norwegian Veterinary Institute
Juan Wang - Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Carlo Leifert - Southern Cross University
Publication Details: Agronomy (Basel), Vol.12(4), pp.1-22
Publisher: MDPI AG
Identifiers: 991013020027702368
Copyright: Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Effect of Organic and Conventional Cereal Production Methods on Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxin Contamination Levels

Files and links (2)

Metrics

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

Details

Southern Cross University Social media