Changes in Wheat Nutritional Content at Elevated [CO2] Alter Fusarium graminearum Growth and Mycotoxin Production on Grain

Rising atmospheric [CO2] has been shown to impact plant primary metabolism and the severity of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat. In this study, we evaluated how changes in grain nutritional content due to growth at elevated [CO2] affected Fusarium graminearum growth and mycotoxin production. Susceptible (Norm) and moderately resistant (Alsen) hard spring wheat grains that had been grown at ambient (400 ppm) or elevated [CO2] (800 ppm) were independently inoculated with two F. graminearum fungal strains, which produce the trichothecene mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol. Under higher [CO2], FHB-susceptible and moderately resistant wheat had disproportionate losses in protein and mineral contents, with Alsen being more severely impacted. Furthermore, the F. graminearum strain 9F1 had increased mycotoxin biosynthesis in response to the loss of wheat nutritional content in Alsen. Our results demonstrate that future [CO2] conditions may provide a strain-specific pathogenic advantage on hosts, with greater losses in nutritional content.