Fusarium poae
head blight of maize, root rot of grasses, silver top or white head of cereals and grasses
Fusarium sporotrichiella, Fusarium sporotrichiella var. poae, Fusarium tricinctum f.sp. poae, Sporotrichum poae, Sporotrichum anthophilum.
Africa: Egypt, Kenya, South Africa; Asia: China, India; Europe: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Hungray, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, UK; North America: Canada
Primarily in northern states
2025-11-07
fungus
Korea
Primarily affects the Poaceae family.
FUSAPO
Fusarium poae is one of many Fusarium species isolated from grains and occurs mainly in temperate regions worldwide. It produces microconidia and macroconidia and can generate mycotoxins. It primarily survives on crop residues, from which spores are dispersed by rain splash or wind. Evidence shows that F. poae can colonize seeds, particularly the seed coat, and may affect germination and seed vigor. Seed as a pathway is unconfirmed.
7 Hosts
Avena sativa
oat
uncertain
FUSAPO-4, FUSAPO-7, CABI CPC, FUSAPO-21
Fusarium poae is one of many Fusarium species reported on oats. Conidia may occasionally be present on seeds if they are not properly handled, conditioned, or stored, but the fungus is primarily soil?borne. No confirmed evidence indicates that seed serves as an important pathway under natural conditions. The role of seed transmission in oats remains uncertain due to limited data.
Seed treatments
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 12:08:46
Kiecana, I.; Cegiełko, M.; Mielniczuk, E.; Perkowski, J 2012. The occurrence of Fusarium poae (Peck) Wollenw. on oat (Avena sativa L.) panicles and its harmfulness. Acta Agrobotanica 65:169-178.
Tekauz, A., McCallum, B., Ames, N., and Mitchell Fetch, J. 2004. Fusarium head blight of oat — current status in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 26:473-479.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Martin, C., Schöneberg, T., Vogelgsang, S., Mendes Ferreira, C. S., Morisoli, R., Bertossa, M., Bucheli, T. D., Mauch-Mani, B., & Mascher, F. (2018). Responses of Oat Grains to Fusarium poae and F. langsethiaeInfections and Mycotoxin Contaminations. Toxins, 10(1), 47.
Glycine max
soybean
uncertain
CABI CPC, FUSAPO-25, FUSAPO-29
Fusarium poae is one of many Fusarium species reported on soybeans. Conidia may occasionally be present on seeds if they are not properly handled, conditioned, or stored, but the fungus is primarily soil-borne. No confirmed evidence indicates that seed serves as an important pathway under natural conditions. The role of seed transmission in soybeans remains uncertain due to limited data.
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 12:10:23
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Vorob’eva, I. G., & Toropova, E. Y. (2022). Ecological Niches of Fusarium poae (Peck) Wollenw. in Western Siberia. Contemporary Problems of Ecology, 15(4), 393–399.
Stenglein, S. A. (2009). FUSARIUM POAE: A PATHOGEN THAT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION. Journal of Plant Pathology, 91(1), 25–36.
Hordeum vulgare
barley
uncertain
FUSAPO-11, FUSAPO-12, FUSAPO-14, FUSAPO-15, FUSAPO-16, FUSAPO-17, FUSAPO-2, CABI CPC
Fusarium poae is one of many Fusarium species reported on barley. Conidia may occasionally be present on seeds if they are not properly handled, conditioned, or stored, but the fungus is primarily soil-borne. No confirmed evidence indicates that seed serves as an important pathway under natural conditions. The role of seed transmission in barley remains uncertain due to limited data.
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 12:11:52
Stenglein SA, Dinolfo, MI, Barros, G., Bongiorno, F., Chulze, S. N., and Moreno, M. V. 2014. Fusarium poae pathogenicity and mycotoxin accumulation on selected wheat and barley genotypes at a single location in Argentina. Plant Dis. 98:1733-1738.
Barreto, D., Carmona, M., Ferrazini, M., Zanelli, M., and Perez, B. 2004. Occurrence and pathogenicity of Fusarium poae in barley in Argentina. Cereal Res. Commun. 32:53-60.
Salas, B., Steffenson, B. J., Casper, H. H., Tacke, B., Prom, L. K., Fetch, T. G., Jr., and Schwarz, P. B. 1999. Fusarium species pathogenic to barley and their associated mycotoxins. Plant Dis. 83:667-674.
Clear, R. M., Patrick, S. K., Platford, R. G., and Desjardins, M. 1996. Occurrence and distribution of Fusarium species in barley and oat seed from Manitoba in 1993 and 1994. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 18:409-414.
Ichinoe, M., Uchiyama, S., Amaro, R., and Kurata, H. 1985. Trichothecene-producing Fusarium in barley and wheat in Japan. Pages 21-32 in: Trichothecenes and other Mycotoxins. J. Lacey, ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Perkowski, J., Kiecana, I., and Chelkowski, J. 1995. Susceptibility of barley cultivars and lines to Fusarium infection and mycotoxin accumulation in kernels. J. Phytopathol. 143:547-551.
Hubert, J.; Nesvorná, M.; Kopecký, J., 2014. The effect of Tyrophagus putrescentiae on Fusarium poae transmission and fungal community in stored barley in a laboratory experiment. Insect Science 21:65-73.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Pisum sativum
pea
uncertain
FUSAPO-19, CABI CPC, FUSAPO-29
Fusarium poae is one of several Fusarium species occasionally reported on pea. The fungus is primarily soil-borne, and while conidia could potentially contaminate seeds under poor handling or storage, there is no verified evidence that seed serves as an important pathway under natural conditions. Seed transmission in pea remains uncertain due to limited data.
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 12:13:07
Mulenko, W., Majewski, T., and Ruszkiewicz-Michalska, M. 2008. A Preliminary Checklist of Micromycetes in Poland. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences 9: 752.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Stenglein, S. A. (2009). FUSARIUM POAE: A PATHOGEN THAT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION. Journal of Plant Pathology, 91(1), 25–36.
Poaceae family
grasses
uncertain
CABI CPC, FUSAPO-29
Fusarium poae is commonly associated with a wide range of grasses, where it is frequently detected on debris. Although conidia may be present on grass seeds under certain field or storage conditions, the fungus is primarily residue- and soil-borne. No confirmed evidence indicates that seed serves as an important pathway under natural conditions. The role of seed transmission in grasses remains uncertain due to limited data.
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 14:30:10
Triticum aestivum
wheat
uncertain
FUSAPO-3, CABI CPC, FUSAPO-22, FUSAPO-23, FUSAPO-24, FUSAPO-25, FUSAPO-26, FUSAPO-27, FUSAPO-29
Fusarium poae is commonly reported on wheat and can colonize heads under favorable field conditions, often alongside other Fusarium species. Although it may be detected on harvested grain, the fungus is primarily residue- and soil-borne. Seed has not been verified as an important pathway under natural conditions. The role of seed transmission in wheat remains uncertain due to limited data.
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 14:43:09
Lenc, L.; Czecholiński, G.; Wyczling, D.; Turów, T.; Kazacute˜mierczak, A. 2015. Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Fusarium spp. on grain of spring wheat cultivars grown in Poland.Journal of Plant Protection Research 55:266-277.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Hassani, F., Zare, L., & Khaledi, N. (2019). Evaluation of germination and vigor indices associated with Fusarium-infected seeds in pre-basic seeds wheat fields. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 59(1), 69–85.
Tini, F., Covarelli, L., Cowger, C., Sulyok, M., Benincasa, P., & Beccari, G. (2022). Infection timing affects Fusarium poae colonization of bread wheat spikes and mycotoxin accumulation in the grain. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 102(14), 6358-6372.
Ghimire, B., Martinez-Espinoza, A. D., Ghimire, B., Harrelson, B. C., Youmans, J., Mergoum, M., & Buck, J. W. (2021). First Report of Fusarium poae Causing Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat in Georgia, U.S.A. Plant Disease, 105(2), 491–491.
Vorob’eva, I. G., & Toropova, E. Y. (2022). Ecological Niches of Fusarium poae (Peck) Wollenw. in Western Siberia. Contemporary Problems of Ecology, 15(4), 393–399.
Borowik, P., Pluta, P., Tkaczyk, M., Okorski, A., Tarakowski, R., & Oszako, T. (2024). Detection of Fusarium poae Infestation in Wheat Grain by Measurement with Two Electronic Noses. Engineering Proceedings, 82(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecsa-11-20516
Mirjami Hörberg, H. (2002). Patterns of splash dispersed conidia of Fusarium poae and Fusarium culmorum. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 108(1), 73-80.
Stenglein, S. A. (2009). FUSARIUM POAE: A PATHOGEN THAT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION. Journal of Plant Pathology, 91(1), 25–36.
Zea mays
corn
uncertain
FUSAPO-8, CABI CPC, FUSAPO-27, FUSAPO-29
Fusarium poae is occasionally detected on corn, typically associated with residues or surface contamination on kernels rather than established infection. The fungus is primarily residue-borne. No confirmed evidence indicates that seed serves as an important pathway under natural conditions. The role of seed transmission in corn remains uncertain due to limited data.
Yes
Blotter incubation
This test has not been validated or standardized
Seed treatments (captan, thiram)
Common seed production practices, careful harvest, seed cleaning, conditioning, seed treatment and proper storage should decrease any risk from this pathogen.
2025-11-07 14:48:07
Aguin, O., Cao, A. , Pintos, C., Santiago, R., Mansilla P., and Butron, A. 2014. Occurence of Fusarium species in maize kernels grown in northwestern Spain. Pl. Pathol. 63: 946-951.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Mirjami Hörberg, H. (2002). Patterns of splash dispersed conidia of Fusarium poae and Fusarium culmorum. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 108(1), 73-80.
Stenglein, S. A. (2009). FUSARIUM POAE: A PATHOGEN THAT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION. Journal of Plant Pathology, 91(1), 25–36.
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