ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Pathogen Interactions
Evaluation of Sowing Time and Seed Treatment Fungicides on Microdochium spp. DNA Quantity in Winter Wheat Cultivars
Provisionally accepted
- Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LRCAF)), Akademija, Lithuania
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Root rots, seedling blights and snow mould diseases caused by Microdochium nivale and M. majus threaten winter wheat production in temperate regions. This study investigated the occurrence and dynamics of both pathogens in three-year field trials using quantitative PCR analysis of winter wheat cultivars sown at different times and treated with various seed treatment fungicides. Both species were consistently detected, but their prevalence varied by year: M. nivale was dominant under prolonged snow cover in 2023, whereas M. majus reached highest levels in 2022, when snow cover was less persistent. Later sowing generally reduced M. nivale infection in years with moderate disease pressure, although this effect diminished under epidemic conditions. Seed treatment fungicides containing fludioxonil or succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor compounds (fluxapyroxad, sedaxane) consistently suppressed pathogen DNA levels, while triazole dominant treatments showed more variable results. Cultivar-related differences were also evident, with 'Ada' and 'KWS Emil' frequently exhibiting higher infection levels than 'Skagen' or 'Patras'. These findings highlight that Microdochium spp. incidence is shaped by the interaction of environmental conditions, agronomic practices, and host genotype. By integrating these factors, the study advances understanding of pathogen ecology and contributes to sustainable management strategies for winter wheat under changing climatic conditions.
Keywords: Microdochium nivale, Microdochium majus, Seed treatment fungicides, sowing time, Epidemiology, Cultivar susceptibility
Received: 28 Aug 2025; Accepted: 06 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sabeckis, Semaškienė, Jonavičienė, Lavrukaite and Venslovas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aurimas Sabeckis, aurimas.sabeckis@lammc.lt
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