Molecular Detection of Fumonisin Producing Fusarium Species of Freshly Harvested Maize Kernels Using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Fumonisins are a new class of toxic secondary metabolites produced by Fusarium species namely Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium proliferatum that have recently come under intense scientific investigations. Thirty-two Fusarium isolates namely, Fusarium moniliforme (12 isolates), Fusarium proliferatum (5 isolates), Fusarium anthophilum (4 isolates), Fusarium oxysporum (3 isolates), Fusarium sporotrichioides (3 isolates), Fusarium pallidoroseum (3 isolates) and Fusarium solani (2 isolates), other four isolates of Aspergillus flavus (2 isolates) and Alternaria alternata (2 isolates), isolated from freshly harvested maize kernels were subjected to PCR analysis. The objective of this study was to develop a PCR-based detection kit for detection of fumonisin-producing Fusarium species. One set of primers based on the conserved ITS region of the genus Fusarium was used to differentiate the genus Fusarium from other fungal genera such as Aspergillus and Alternaria. The other set of primers specific to fumonisin producing ‘FUM 1gene’ region of Fusarium was used to differentiate the fumonisin producing Fusarium species from non-fumonisin producers. Results of the study revealed that PCR-based technique could be used not only to differentiate the Fusarium species from other genera of fungi but also to identify fumonisin-producing Fusarium moniliforme, F. Proliferatum and F. anthophilum.