Microdochium nivale and M. majus as causative agents of seedling blight in spring cereals Microdochium nivale ir M. majus – vasarinių javų daigų puvinių sukėlėjai

Seedling blight, mostly caused by Fusarium spp. and Bipolaris sorokiniana, is a common disease in spring cereals. This research confirmed the presence of Microdochium fungi in a complex of seedling blight causative agents. Pathogens Microdochium nivale and M. majus in the seed and in stem base of seedlings of spring barley, spring wheat, spring triticale and spring oats were identified and quantified using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 2013–2015. Both species were detected in the seed of all spring cereals tested. The amount of M. nivale and M. majus DNA was the highest in seeds of barley. Both Microdochium pathogens were present in the stem base of seedlings of all spring cereals tested; however, a high variation between cereal species and years was established. In most cases, the quantity of M. nivale DNA was the lowest in the seedlings of oats, while that of M. majus – in the seedlings of barley compared to the other cereal species tested. Higher contents of M. majus and M. nivale DNA were identified in the stem base of the seedlings emerged from untreated seeds compared with the seedlings emerged from the fludioxonil-treated seeds. However, the effect of tebuconazole on the reduction of M. nivale and M. majus DNA was inconsistent. Our findings suggest that M. nivale and M. majus occur in the seed of spring cereals and cause seedling blight, therefore research on these pathogens needs to be extended.