These toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in livestock, and are harmful to humans through contaminated food.

The fruiting bodies, perithecia, develop on the mycelium and give rise to ascospores, which land on susceptible parts of the host plant to germinate.

The fungus causes fusarium head blight on wheat, barley, and other grass species, as well as ear rot on corn.

The scab disease is monocyclic; after one cycle of infection with ascospores, the fungus produces macroconidia by asexual reproduction.

Stem nodes begin to rot and wilt, eventually causing them to turn black and disintegrate when they are infected by the fungal pathogen.

[7] Brown, dark purple-black necrotic lesions will form on the outer surface of the spikelets, what the wheat ear breaks up into.

Warm soil can cause head blight to occur after emergence, and crown and basal culm rot can be observed in later plant development.

[8] From the infected floret, the fungus can grow through the rachis and cause severe damage in a short period of time under favorable conditions.

Upon germination of the spores on the anthers and the surface of the developing kernel, hyphae penetrate the epicarp and spread through the seed coat.

The correct usage of fungicide applications against fusarium head blight (FHB) can reduce the disease by 50 to 60 percent.

[10] Fusarium refers to a large genus of soil fungi that are economically important due to the profound effects they have on crops.

[14] Cultivating a variety of hosts that are resistant to FHB is one of the most evidence-based and cost-effective ways to manage the disease.

Once the crop has been harvested, it is essential to store it at low moisture, below 15%, as this will reduce the appearance of Gibberella zeae and Fusarium species in storage.

The rotation of small grains with soybean or other non-host crops has proven to reduce FHB and mycotoxin contamination.

[10] If minimal or no tillage occurs, the residue spreads and allows the fungus to overwinter on stalks and rotted ears of corn and produce spores.

It can be disastrous if it gets into the food chain, as zearalenone causes abortions in pregnant females and feminization of males.