Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol Mycotoxin Profile in Triticale Seedlings with Different Susceptibility to the Root Rot

Cereals in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan can be affected by the crown and common root rot and spot blotches mostly caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana and Fusarium spp. Triticale is a man-made crop obtained from the crossing of wheat (Triticum sp.) × rye (Secale cereale L.) and it is mainly cultivated as a feed grain for livestock in Kazakhstan. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi secreted by the toxigenic species Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. The study aimed to determine the effect of the varietal factor and the type of mycotoxin on their content in 15-day triticale seedlings. The spread and development indices of root rot were calculated and the Liquid Chromatography coupled with tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed to determine the concentration of mycotoxins. The content of micro-toxins depended both on their type and the triticale variety (P-value <0.001). The maximum content of mycotoxins Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol in some seedlings reached 100-120 mcg/mL, on average 12.4 and 15.1 mcg/mL, respectively. In Rondo, Fidelio 5, and Valentin varieties, the mycotoxin content was 11.2; 16.9, and 8.6 mcg/mL, with a spread of 79.0-93.0%, the development of common root rot reached 30.5-34.2%, while in Idea, TI 17, Nevo and Dokuckaevsky 9, the average mycotoxin content was lower, within 1.4-3.9 mcg/mL, with a spread of 50.0-65.0% and the development of common root rot reaching 20.5-25.0%. In the triticale Alnaiskii 5 variety, these indices equaled 0.7 mcg/mL; 55.0 and 19.2%, respectively. A high positive correlation (0.8) was found between the content of mycotoxins and the infestation of triticale seedlings with root rot.