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The Mycotoxin Diagnostic Laboratory in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota has been providing rapid and reliable deoxynivalenol (DON) and related mycotoxin
(15-Acetyl-DON, 3-Acetyl-DON, nivalenol and zearalenone) diagnostic services for Fusarium Head Blight (FHB or scab) research projects using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) since 1994. Ergosterol, a
chemical marker for measuring fungal biomass, was also analyzed for some samples as requested by researchers. From July 2007 to June 2008, our laboratory analyzed 26,220 samples submitted by 32 scab research groups
from 14 states, which is about 73% increase compared with 15,141 samples analyzed last crop year (2006/2007). The huge increase of samples reflected the important role of DON diagnostic services in fighting FHB and
the great needs of DON analysis by the scab research community. The DON data has been used in all areas of scab research. By analyzing mycotoxins, the project provided support to barley and wheat breeding programs
to develop resistant varieties, and to researchers to study disease mechanisms and to develop effective chemical and biological disease controls. Mycotoxin data provided to scab researchers by our laboratory gave
them a means to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts in fighting Fusarium Head Blight. -- Yanhong Dong, Ph.D., Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota.
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