ASSESSING THE TOXIGENICITY OF FUSARIA CONTAMINATING GRAIN SPIKES ON THE BASIS OF HEADSPACE ANALYSIS OF TRICHODIENE

Spikes of wheat, barley and rye were collected from fields a week befo re harvest. Collected samples were incubated for 10 days in flasks. Be fore and after incubation samples were screened for volatile compounds production, trichothecenes and changes in fungal microflora. Trichodi ene was detected in one sample before incubation and in all 10 after ( 0.13 to 8.85 mu g/L). Trichothecenes level before incubation varied fr om nd to 0.08 mu g/g and increased after incubation to 0.04 to 8.90 mu g/g. Increase in trichodiene contents in incubated samples assisted t he increase in trichothecenes level. As an intermediate in trichothece nes biosynthesis volatile trichodiene can give preliminary information on the ability of Fusaria inhabiting spikes to synthesize trichothece nes.