Can biofortification of Triticum aestivum L. seeds prevent fungal contamination?

Infection of cereals with phytopathogenic fungal strains is an important quality problem and may lead to significant losses for the food industry, since the intense development of filamentous fungi in plants results in a decrease of grain yield and an extensive deterioration of the grain quality. Fungal growth is influenced by different factors such as temperature, water activity, pH, substrate aeration, inoculum concentration, microbial interactions, physiological state of mould, etc. In addition to these factors, substances or conditions that can impose stress to the fungus or even affects its viability also influence fungal contamination. The aim of this research was to assess the impact of biofortification of Triticum aestivum L. seeds on fungal contamination. The T. aestivum L. seeds that were sown in the experiment were obtained in a previous study (Lidon et al., 2011) and were biofortified with zinc and iron. The seeds that were sown are designated by 3T7s contain increased amounts of zinc and iron than original seed (non-biofortified, farmer seed). Petri plates with Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar were inoculated and incubated at 25 ºC. For 3T7s and 0Ts, eight Petri plates were inoculated, and colony growth was measured over time. The 3T7s showed a significant lower fungal contamination (10-fold decrease) than 0Ts.