Fusarium ear blight is the most common wheat disease in Western Europe, Belarus, and the European regions of Russia. The infection typically appears during the grain filling stage, where the glumes are coated with a white or pinkish layer made up of fungal mycelium and spore-producing structures from the Fusarium genus.

The pathogens responsible for this disease comprise a diverse group of 19 fungal species, with each contributing to varying degrees of severity and symptom expression, and F. sporotrichoides, F. poae, and F. avenae being dominant. Highly pathogenic species such as F. graminearum and F. culmorum cause shriveling and reduced germination. Among the 19 identified fungal species associated with this disease, several are considered weakly pathogenic. For example, F. poae and F. equiseti typically colonise only the outer surface of the grain and do not significantly compromise seed quality, despite their frequent occurrence. F. poae is particularly prevalent in regions such as the North Caucasus, the Russian Far East, and the Northwest of Russia (Gakkaeva & Dmitriev, 2012; Levitin, 2012). In Belarus, however, Fusarium ear blight is a major concern, with infection rates in winter cereals reaching 60-70%. The predominant pathogens in these cases are F. oxysporum, F. culmorum, and F. sporotrichiella (Buga et al., 2006).

Fusarium species exhibit a high degree of host specialisation and are known to cause root rot in both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. These pathogens can survive on crop residues left after harvest and persist in the soil, continuing to infect plant roots and spreading through contaminated seeds. In severe outbreaks of Fusarium ear blight, wheat yields may be reduced by as much as 50%, with significant declines in both seed viability and the grain’s processing quality. Some Fusarium species produce potent mycotoxins; contamination of just 5% of grains by these toxigenic strains can render the entire batch unsuitable for human consumption.