Fusarium ear rot (FER) incited by Fusarium verticillioides is a major disease of maize that reduces grain quality globally. Host resistance is the most suitable strategy for managing the disease. We report the results of genome-wide association study (GWAS) to detect alleles associated with increased resistance to FER in a set of 818 tropical maize inbred lines evaluated in three environments. ...

ABSTRACT Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contamination are serious problems for maize growers, particularly in the southeastern United States. The lack of maize genotypes highly resistant to infection by Fusarium verticillioides or to fumonisin contamination emphasizes the need for management strategies to prevent contamination by this mycotoxin. Information on the initial appearance of infectio...

UNLABELLED SUMMARY The rapid global re-emergence of Fusarium head blight disease of wheat and barley in the last decade along with contamination of grains with mycotoxins attributable to the disease have spurred basic research on the fungal causal agent. As a result, Fusarium graminearum quickly has become one of the most intensively studied fungal plant pathogens. This review briefly summarize...

Wild maize (teosinte) has been reported to be less susceptible to pests than their modern maize (corn) relatives. Endophytes, defined as microbes that inhabit plants without causing disease, are known for their ability to antagonize plant pests and pathogens. We hypothesized that the wild relatives of modern maize may host endophytes that combat pathogens. Fusarium graminearum is the fungus tha...

Maize kernel samples were collected in 1996 from smallholder farm storages in the districts of Bomet, Bungoma, Kakamega, Kericho, Kisii, Nandi, Siaya, Trans Nzoia, and Vihiga in the tropical highlands of western Kenya. Two-thirds of the samples were good-quality maize, and one-third were poor-quality maize with a high incidence of visibly diseased kernels. One hundred fifty-three maize samples ...