Fusarium head blight (FHB) or scab is an important disease of wheat and triticale in Southern Brazil. The fungus Fusarium graminearum has been reported as the causal agent of this disease in Brazil even though other Fusarium species are also associated to FHB in other regions of the world. The aim of this study was to identify species of Fusarium associated with FHB on wheat and triticale in Southern Brazil. The identification was based on morphological features, and uppon polymerase chain reaction using species specific primers. The pathogenicity of the isolates in wheat was evaluated after inoculation of ears under greenhouse conditions. The twenty single spores isolates obtained from diseased ears and seeds were classified as F. graminearum.
scab; Triticum aestivum; Triticosecale; PCR