The 2nd MYCOKEY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE (China) hosted jointly by Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS) and China Society of Plant Protection (CSPP)  was organized under the auspices of the International Society on Mycotoxicology (ISM).

The title of the Conference was “Integrated Solutions for Mycotoxin Management” and was held from 15th to 18th September 2018 at Whuan, China.

• The conference lasted 3 days; it consisted of 73 oral presentations and 102 posters that were exposed during the whole conference. In total there were 248 participants from 17different countries, representing all continents. Conference topics were open for all contributions related to the following topics in mycotoxin research: Biodiversity and Toxigenic Fungi Monitoring; Mycotoxin detection technology; Functional Genomics of Toxigenic Fungi; Prevention in the field; Modelling and ICT Solutions; Health and Toxicology; Remediation and Intervention; Food and Feed Processing; Mycotoxin Management in Asia

The scientific committee was formed by 30 researches from 12 different countries (Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and USA) and from 17 different Universities or Research centers. The scientific committee members were experts in different mycotoxin research topics and ensured the quality of the conference.

To open the meeting, there was a plenary session dived into two keynote spechess chaired by Dazhao Yu. 1)“Integrated solutions for mycotoxin management by MycoKey in China”Jie Feng (Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS, China; Coordinator of China National Key R&D program – MycoKey). 2) “Advances on mycotoxin mitigation along food/feed chain based on MycoKey EU-China cooperation”  AntonioLogrieco (Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Italy; ; Coordinator of EU Horizon2020 Program – MycoKey)  They welcomed all participants and presented the MycoKey project.

The conference was then divided into 7 different sessions with several oral presentations each session. Each oral presentation lasted 20 minutes, questions included. The sessions are described below:

• S1 – Biodiversity & Toxigenic Fungi Monitoring. Chairs: Hao Zhang, Emerson Del Ponte, Antonio Moretti, Juan Chen
  1. The mycotoxigenic Fusarium proliferatum: a perfect example of the Great Beauty of fungal biodiversity  Antonio Moretti (Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Italy)
  2. Unveiling the Fusarium graminearum species complex: a systematic literature review and analysis of global survey data on species and trichothecene genotypes  Emerson Del Ponte (Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil)
  3. Relevance and impact of biodiversity studies in Aspergillus  Juan Chen (Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, CAMS, China)
  4. Clavicepspurpurea and its propensity to form ergot alkaloids in cereal crops  Tom Gräefenhan (Canadian Grain Commission, Canada)
  5. Monitoring of Fusarium species and chemotypes associated with Fusarium head blight on wheat in Hebei province, China  Lijing Ji (Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, China)
  6. Population analysis of Fusarium crown rot pathogen from wheat in China  Hao Zhang (Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS, China)
  7. Establishment and application of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for detection of emerging toxigenic Fusarium temperatum in maize stalks and kernels  Wei Guo (Institute of Food Science and Technology, CAAS, China)
  8. An investigation of fungal contamination in Ziziphispinosae Semen  MengyueGuo (Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, CAMS, China)
  9. Analysis of population structure and distribution of Fusarium asiaticum in Southern China  Meixin Yang (Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS, China)
  10. Investigation of aflatoxins, mycobiota, and toxigenic fungi during post-harvest handling of Ziziphispinosae Semen  Ximei Zhang (Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, CAMS, China)

• S2 – Mycotoxin detection technology. Chairs: Sarah De Saeger& Qi Zhang
  1. MycoKey developments in (multi) mycotoxin rapid screening methods  Sarah De Saeger (Ghent University, Belgium)
  2. Preparation of reference materials for free and modified mycotoxins  Zheng Han (Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  3. Development of sensitive and reliable UPLC-MS/MS methods for food analysis of emerging mycotoxins in China total diet study  Danlei Sun (China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment)
  4.  A CdSe/CdS quantum dot-based fluorescent immunoassay method for sensitive screening of aflatoxin B1 in medicinal herbs  Lei Zhang (Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, CAMS, China)
  5. Rapid detection of fumonisin B1 using ELISA and colloidal gold immunoassay based on monoclonal antibody  Sumei Ling (Fujian Al&F University, China)

• S3 – Functional Genomics of Toxigenic Fungi. Chairs: Huiquan Liu & Won Bo Shim
  1. TOR inhibits lipid droplet biogenesis via the FgNem1/Spo7-FgPah1 phosphatase cascade in Fusarium graminearum  Yun Chen (Zhejiang University, China)
  2. Dual functions of Tri10 in Fusarium graminearum  Cong Jiang (Northwest Al&F University, China)
  3. Three FgIDO genes with differential roles in tryptophan catabolism and fungal development in Fusarium graminearum  Xin Liu (Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  4. RNA-Seq analysis reveals the molecular mechanism of enhanced DON-toxin production by cAMP-treatment in Fusarium graminearumMengchun Wu (Northwest Al&F University, China)
  5. The Fusarium graminearum histone acetyltransferases are important for morphogenesis, DON biosynthesis, and pathogenicity  Xiangjiu Kong (Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS, China)

• S4 – Prevention in the field. Chairs: Sofia Chulze& Xu Zhang, Paola Battilani&Huaigu Chen, Pawan Kumar Singh &Ákos Mesterhazy, LihuaGuo& Theo van der Lee
  1. Management of Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol contamination in JIangsu Province  Huaigu Chen (Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  2. Characterisation of Aspergillus flavus population native of Romania  Paola Battilani (UniversitàCattolica del SacroCuore, Italy)
  3. Evaluation of maize germplasm for resistance against ear rot causing agents of Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium graminearumXiude Xu (Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  4. Effects of integrating cultivar resistance and fungicide application on Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol in winter wheat 4  Lijun Yang (Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  5. Mycotoxins in nuts and dried fruits from Afghanistan  John Leslie (Kansas State University, USA)
  6. Dissection on the antagonistic mechanisms of Trichoderma harzianum against mycotoxinproducing Fusarium species  Aibo Wu (Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, China)
  7. Green leaf volatiles: new tools in an integrated disease and pest management in wheat?  Kris Audenaert (Ghent University, Belgium)
  8. Candidate gene cloning and marker-assisted selection for Fusarium head blight resistance and DON accumulation in wheat  Xu Zhang (Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  9. Biological control to reduce the impact of mycotoxins in maize and wheat in Argentina  Sofia Chulze (Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Argentina) What do mycoviruses do in their hosts Fusarium graminearumLihuaGuo (Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS, China)
  10. Present situation of Fusarium toxins on wheat in China  Jianrong Shi (Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  11. Genome-wide analysis of family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases (UGT) and identification of UGT genes for FHB resistance in wheat (Triticumaestivum L.)  Yi He (Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  12. Biogenic volatile compounds (BVOCs) produced by fungal endophytes reduce zearalenone (ZEN) and trichothecenes produced by Fusarium graminearum  Mohamed Fathi Abdallah (Ghent University, Belgium)
  13. Effect of biofungicidestetramycin on Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol content in n soft red winter wheat  Shuangjun Gong (Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
  14. The interaction of water activity and temperature to control growth, gene cluster expression and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus in rice  Jing Jin (Institute of Food Science and Technology, CAAS, China)
  15. Characterization of QTL on chromosomes 3BL and 3DL associated with deoxynivalenol (DON) content in a bread wheat population  Pawan Kumar Singh (CYMMIT, Mexico)
  16. Effective control a Fusarium head blight in wheat via combination of plant breeding and fungicide application  Ákos Mesterhazy (Cereal Research Non-Profit Ltd, Hungary)
  17. Studies on the mode of action of dioctatin that inhibits aflatoxin production of Aspergillus species  Tomohiro Furukawa (Teikyo University, Japan)
  18. Effects of cultivar resistance, fungicide application timing, and fungicide chemical class on FHB and DON in winter wheat in China  Fei Xu (Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China)
  19. Towards a comprehensive understanding of genetic determinants underlying Fusarium resistance and mycotoxin contamination in maize  Alessandra Lanubile (UniversitàCattolica del SacroCuore, Italy)

• S5 – Remediation & Intervention. Chairs: Giuseppina Avantaggiato & Yucai Liao, Michelangelo Pascale & Giuseppe Meca
  1. Mycotoxin reduction in maize by industrial-scale cleaning solutions  Michelangelo Pascale (Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Italy)
  2. Microbial and enzymatic detoxification of trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenolYucai Liao (Huazhong Agricultural University, China)
  3. New methodology for the reduction of Aspergillus flavus and Penicilliumverrucosum growth on cereals during storage  Giuseppe Meca (University of Valencia, Spain)
  4. Efficacy assessment of different physico-chemical treatments in improving the performances of clay-based materials as multi-mycotoxin binder  Vito D’Ascanio (Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Italy)
  5. Biomarker-based approach for efficacy testing of a multi-mycotoxin detoxifier in pigs  Amelie Catteuw (Ghent University, Belgium)
  6. MycoKey approaches to mitigate mycotoxins in feed: efficacy and authorization of mycotoxin detoxifying agents  Giuseppina Avantaggiato (Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Italy)
  7. Lessons learned from more than 20 years of research in mycotoxin detoxification  GerdSchatzmayr (BIOMIN Research Center, Austria)
  8.  Inhibitory effect of Lactobacillus plantarum on Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production  Yueju Zhao (Institute of Food Science and Technology, CAAS, China)
  9. Effect of compound essential oils on the variation of microbiome and major mycotoxins production in stored maize  Fuguo Xing (Institute of Food Science and Technology, CAAS, China)
  10. Physical stability, antifungal properties, and mycotoxin inhibitory activities of chitosan stabilized cinnamon oil-in-water emulsion  Dianhui Wu (Jiangnan University, China)
  11. Biomonitoring of Human Exposure to Mycotoxins  Mark Sumarah (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada)

• S6 – Food Processing & Toxicology. Chairs: ArjaLaitila&Aibo Wu
  1. Biocontrol strategies for Fusarium management in the malting chain  ArjaLaitila (VTT, Finland)
  2. Novel insights in the fate of deoxynivalenol during the production of crackers, biscuits and bread under pilot plant conditions  David Stadler (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria)
  3. Uniting large-scale databases to unravel the impact of chronic multi-mycotoxin exposure on colorectal cancer incidence in Europe  Marthe De Boevre (Ghent University, Belgium)
  4. Development of emulsion based delivery systems for control of Fusarium growth and mycotoxins during food processing  Jiajia Rao (North Dakota State University, USA)
  5. Comparative toxicokinetics and plasma protein binding of ochratoxin A in four avian species  Mathias Devreese (Ghent University, Belgium)

• S7 – Modelling & ICT Solutions. Chairs: Kris Audenaert& Xiaoping Hu
  1. MycoKey app: an ICT solution to facilitate mitigation of mycotoxin risks  Theo van der Lee (Wageningen Plant Research, The Netherlands)
  2. Comparison of three modelling approaches for predicting deoxynivalenol contamination in winter wheat  Cheng Liu (RIKILT, The Netherlands)
  3. Development of the monitoring and early warning system for DON contamination  Chengqi Zhang (Anhui Agricultural University, China)
  4. Modelling the ecological needs of fungi and mycotoxins in cheese  Marco Camardo Leggieri (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy)

Finally,Prof. Jie Feng (Local Organizing Committee, IPP-CAAS, China) & Antonio Logrieco (Coordinator of MycoKey, ISPA-CNR, Italy)  did the closing remarks and he commented the high level of the poster and oral presentations. A. Logrieco and Jie Feng gave the awards to the best posters to:V.D’Ascanio, ISPA-CNR, Meixin Yang, IPP-CAAS, Xin Liu, JAAS, Mathias Devreese, UGENT and Tomohiro Furukawa, Teikyo University.

Moreover, The Toxins journal, which is an open access journal of toxicology published monthly online by MDPI (IF 3.030 (2016)), was partner of the Mycokey conference.Toxins special issue “2nd MycoKey International Conference – Integrated Solutions for Mycotoxin Management”. This themed collection is closely aligned with the scope of the event.

The MycoKey EU-CHINA International conference “MycoKey: Integrated Solutions for Mycotoxin Management” co-organized by Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Science, HAAS, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Central China, MOA and ISPA-CNR,  was a great success and has underpinned that MycoKey Project is already a robust referring point for all people dealing with mycotoxins at worldwide level. Moreover, the next MycoKey final International conference “Integrated and innovative key actions for mycotoxin management in the food and feed chain” will be organized by CNR in Italy, Bari, in the last months of the Project.