Mycotoxin accumulation in dry rot potato tubers from Algeria and toxigenic potential of associated isolates of fusarium genus

The presence of different mycotoxins in 232 tuber samples exhibiting dry rot symptoms and their associated Fusarium strains from two production sites in Algeria was investigated. LC–MS/MS was used to simultaneously detect and quantify 14 mycotoxins, including trichothecenes and non-trichothecenes. A total of 49 tubers were contaminated with at least one mycotoxins, including T-2, HT-2, Diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), 15-acetoxyscirpenol (15-AS) and Beauvericin (BEA). Positive samples from the Bouira region had a significantly higher level of toxin contamination compared to Ain Defla (56.34% and 5.59%, respectively). A total of 283 Fusarium strains were isolated: 155 from Bouira and 128 from Ain Defla. These strains were evaluated for their ability to produce the targeted mycotoxins. The results showed that 61.29% and 53.9% of strains originate from Bouira and Ain Defla regions were able to produce Nivalenol, Fusarenone-X, DAS, 15-AS, Neosolaniol, BEA and Zearalenone. The phylogenetic analysis of the conserved ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of 29 Fusarium strains, representative of the recorded mycotoxins profiles, was distributed into 5 Fusarium species complexes (SC): F. incarnatum-equiseti SC (FIESC), F. sambucinum SC (FSAMSC), F. oxysporum SC (FOSC), F. tricinctum SC (FTSC) and F. redolens SC (FRSC). This is the first study determining multiple occurrences of mycotoxins contamination associated to Fusarium dry rot of potato in Algeria and highlights fungal potential for producing trichothecene and non-trichothecens mycotoxins.