Baseline Sensitivity and Resistance Analysis of Fusarium graminearum to Pydiflumetofen in Henan Province, China

TL;DR

This study assesses the sensitivity and resistance of Fusarium graminearum to pydiflumetofen in Henan Province, China, finding rising resistance and no fitness costs.

Contribution

Identifies pydiflumetofen resistance mutations and cross-resistance patterns in Fusarium graminearum from Henan Province.

Findings

Pydiflumetofen resistance in Fusarium graminearum is increasing in Henan Province.

Resistant isolates show no significant fitness costs and have mutations in SDH subunits.

Cross-resistance occurs with fluxapyroxad but not with prothioconazole, phenamacril, or pyraclostrobin.

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, severely threatens wheat production in China’s Huang-Huai region. In order to clarify the resistance status of F. graminearum to pydiflumetofen in Henan Province, the mycelial growth rate method was used to assess the sensitivity of 345 strains isolated from 15 Henan cities during 2021–2024. The EC50 of F. graminearum isolates to pydiflumetofen was determined to be 0.016–3.981 μg/mL, with a right-skewed unimodal pattern, and the Shapiro–Wilk test confirmed a non-normal distribution (W = 0.4936, p < 0.05). Significantly higher mean EC50 values were observed in 2024 relative to 2021–2023, and resistant isolates were predominantly distributed in southwestern Henan Province. Fitness assays conducted in the absence of fungicide showed that most pydiflumetofen-resistant isolates exhibited similar mycelial growth, conidiation, pathogenicity, and deoxynivalenol (DON) production compared with sensitive isolates, suggesting no obvious fitness costs associated with pydiflumetofen resistance. Spearman rank correlation analysis demonstrated positive cross-resistance between pydiflumetofen and fluxapyroxad, but no cross-resistance to prothioconazole, phenamacril, or pyraclostrobin. Resistant strains had mutations in the FgsdhC2 (C89S, A93V) and FgsdhD (A21T, S30F) subunits of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Low-frequency pydiflumetofen resistance in F. graminearum from Henan Province highlights that pydiflumetofen should be applied alternately or in combination with fungicides showing no cross-resistance to delay the development of resistance.

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