OCCURRENCE OF FUSARIUM SPECIES IN MAIZE GRAINS FOR SILAGE

Vesna Krnjaja

Institute for Animal Husbandry, Autoput 16, 11080 Belgrade-Zemun, Republic of Serbia (Serbia)

Jelena Lević

Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Slobodana Bajića 1, 11185 Belgrade-Zemun, Republic of Serbia (Serbia)

Slavica Stanković

Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Slobodana Bajića 1, 11185 Belgrade-Zemun, Republic of Serbia (Serbia)

Zorica Bijelić

Institute for Animal Husbandry, Autoput 16, 11080 Belgrade-Zemun, Republic of Serbia (Serbia)

Abstract

Grain samples of two maize hybrids, medium early (ZP434) and late maturity (ZP704), collected during  harvest in 2008 were investigated for contamination by fungi. Grains were plated on agar media and grown  fungi were identified by morphological macroscopic and microscopic characteristics on potato-dextrose agar  (PDA) and synthetic nutrient agar (SNA). Species of the genus Fusarium were the most common in both hybrids, and their presence amounted to 33.89% (ZP434) and 42.00% (ZP704). Other fungi of genera, Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Nigrospora, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Trichotecium, were isolated from 0 to 41.00%. Four species belonging to the genus Fusarium were identified, of which the species F. verticillioides was the most common with 28.63% in ZP434 and 30.50% in ZP704 hybrids. The presence of F. graminearum, F. proliferatum and F. subglutinans ranged from 3.00% (ZP704) to  .00% (ZP434), 0.13% (ZP434) to 7.00% (ZP704) and 0.13% (ZP434) to 7.00% (ZP704), respectively. Generally, the incidence of every particular fungus was higher in the late maize hybrid with a higher moisture  content than in the medium-early hybrid with a lower moisture content.

Keywords:

Fusarium spp., maize, pathogenic fungi, silage