Influence of inoculation method on systemic Fusarium moniliforme infection of maize plants grown from infected seeds

Two greenhouse and two field experiments were conducted in 1994 and 1995 to quantify the incidence of maize kernel infection resulting from systemic infection of maize plants by Fusarium moniliforme. Seeds were infected by two methods: (i) spray-inoculation of maize silks during seed development (field-infected), and (ii) soak-inoculation of mature seeds in a spore suspension (laboratory-infected). Plants were grown from infected seeds and assayed for systemic infection by the seed-inoculated strain, determined by vegetative compatibility of recovered isolates with the original strain. The seed-inoculated strain was recovered from stalks and kernels of plants grown from both types of infected seed. Mature plants grown from field-infected seeds had a higher percentage of their kernels infected with the seed-inoculated strain compared with plants from laboratory-infected seed. Mean incidence of infection by the seed-inoculated strain was 9.9 to 29.4% of all kernels (33.0 to 55.9% of F. moniliforme-infected kernels) in the plants grown from field-infected seed. Some plants from infected seed were subsequently silk-inoculated, and the silk-inoculated strain was recovered from a much higher percentage of kernels (26.5 to 37.5% of all kernels or 77.9 to 78.4% of F. maniliforme-infected kernels) than was the seed-inoculated strain; furthermore, silk inoculation significantly reduced incidence of kernel infection by the seed-inoculated strain. Seed infection by F. moniliforme resulted in systemic infection of plants and kernels. However, local infection (via silks) was a more important pathway to kernels than was systemic infection, and strains infecting the silks competed successfully against those entering the kernels through systemic development.