Epidemiology of Fusarium diseases and their mycotoxins in maize ears

Fusarium species cause two distinct diseases on ears of maize, Fusarium ear rot (or pink ear rot) and Gibberella ear rot (or red ear rot), both of which can result in mycotoxin contamination of maize grain. The primary causal agent for Fusarium ear rot is Fusarium verticillioides, but F. subglutinans and F. proliferatum are also important. Gibberella ear rot is caused primarily by F. graminearum, but F. culmorum can also be important, especially in Europe. Aspects of the epidemiology of both diseases have been studied for decades, but only recently have efforts been made to synthesize this information into comprehensive models of disease development. Much of the work on F. graminearum has focused on Fusarium head blight of small-grain crops, but some of the results obtained are also relevant to maize. The primary mycotoxins produced by these fungi, fumonisins and deoxynivalenol, have differing roles in the disease-cycle, and these roles are not completely understood, especially in the case of fumonisins. Progress is being made toward accurate models for risk assessment of both diseases, but key challenges remain in terms of integrating models of pre- and post-infection events, quantifying the roles of insects in these diseases, and characterizing interactions among competing fungi and the environment.