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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #376266
Research Project: Novel Methods for Controlling Trichothecene Contamination of Grain and Improving the Climate Resilience of Food Safety and Security Programs

Location: Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research

Title: Ensuring food safety and security: Evaluating and utilizing plant/pest/pathogen phytochemical interactions

Author
item Hay, William
item Vaughan, Martha
item McCormick, Susan
item Behle, Robert
item Berhow, Mark
item Selling, Gordon
item Hojilla-Evangelista, Milagros - Mila
item Teresi, Jennifer
item Bowman, Michael
item Dunn, Robert - Bob

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/2020
Publication Date: 9/10/2020
Citation: Hay, W.T., Vaughan, M.M., McCormick, S.P., Behle, R.W., Berhow, M.A., Selling, G.W., Hojilla-Evangelista, M.P., Teresi, J.M., Bowman, M.J., Dunn, R.O. 2020. Ensuring food safety and security: Evaluating and utilizing plant/pest/pathogen phytochemical interactions [abstract].

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ensuring food safety and security continues to be a perpetual challenge as up to 50% of all crop yields are lost to pests, plant diseases, and post-harvest damage. Fungal pathogens can not only decrease plant yields but some can produce harmful mycotoxins which endanger the final consumer. In this webinar we will present how a robust understanding of plant/pest/pathogen interactions can be utilized to better secure our agricultural industry. We will present how bioactive soybean flavonoids were found to improve the insecticidal activity of a baculovirus biopesticide against the lepidopteran pest Trichoplusia ni. Individually, three soybean flavonoid compounds, daidzein, genistein, and kaempferol, did not cause T ni. mortality, but the combination of the three flavonoids at leaf-level concentrations significantly increased baculovirus activity in diet incorporation assays. Furthermore, we will present how rising global carbon dioxide concentrations can change the nutritional content of wheat and increase the severity of Fusarium head blight, a devastating fungal disease of wheat. Certain strains of Fusarium graminearum increased production of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in response to changes in grain nutrient content. Future climate conditions may provide a pathogenic advantage on hosts with lower nutritional content, threatening global food safety and security.