Reaction of oat cultivars to artificial infection with Fusarium culmorum Sacc. in two different locations of Slovakia

In the areas of Piešťany and Vígľaš-Pstruša during 2006 and 2007, the oat cultivars Ábel, Detvan, Izák, Avenuda and Zvolen were included in the experiment for the evaluation of susceptibility after artificial inoculation. Panicles of oat cultivars were inoculated with a conidial suspension of Fusarium culmorum Sacc. The infection of panicles resulted in damage of kernels, yield reduction and deoxynivalenol cumulation in kernels, which was higher in Piešťany than in Vígľaš-Pstruša. The reaction of cultivars to artificial infection was similar in both locations and years. In both locations, the highest visual damage of kernels as well as thousand grain weight (TGW) reduction appeared in the Izak cultivar and the lowest ones in Zvolen. Also the highest deoxynivalenol cumulation in both locations and both years was in the Izák cultivar and the lowest one in Zvolen. The Ábel cultivar, with a higher visual damage of kernels and TGW reduction, had a lower deoxynivalenol cumulation. The correlation coefficients were positive between visually damaged kernels and deoxynivalenol content and between the reduction of TGW and deoxynivalenol content. In addition, the correlation between visually damaged kernels and the reduction of TGW was positive, too.