Timing of Fusarium Head Blight Infection in Rice by Heading Stage

Fusarium graminearum causes the devastating plant disease Fusarium head blight and produces mycotoxins on small cultivated grains. To investigate the timeframe of F. graminearum infection during rice cultivation, a spore suspension of F. graminearum was applied to the rice cultivars Dongjin 1 and Nampyeongbyeo before and after the heading stage. The disease incidence rate was the highest (50%) directly after heading, when the greatest number of flowers were present, while only 10% of the rice infected 30 days after heading showed symptoms. To understand the mechanism of infection, an F. graminearum strain expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inoculated, and the resulting infections were visually examined. Spores were found in all areas between the glume and inner seed, with the largest amount of GFP detected in the aleurone layer. When the inner part of the rice seed was infected, the pathogen was mainly observed in the embryo. These results suggest that F. graminearum migrates from the anthers to the ovaries and into the seeds during the flowering stage of rice. This study will contribute to uncovering the infection process of this pathogen in rice.