Endophyte Infection rates and Alkaloid Content in Commercially Available Grass Seed Mixtures in Europe.

Fungal endophytes of the genus live symbiotically in cool season grass species and can produce alkaloids toxic to insects and vertebrates, yet reports of intoxication of grazing animals have been rare in Europe in contrast to overseas. However, due to the beneficial resistance traits observed in infected grasses, the inclusion of in seed mixtures might become increasingly advantageous. Despite the toxicity of fungal alkaloids, European seed mixtures are rarely tested for infection and their infection status is unknown for consumers. In this study, we tested 24 commercially available seed mixtures for their infection rates with endophytes and measured the concentrations of the alkaloids ergovaline, lolitrem B, paxilline, and peramine. We detected infections in six seed mixtures, and four contained vertebrate and insect toxic alkaloids typical for var. infecting . As infected seed mixtures can harm livestock, when infected grasses become dominant in the seeded grasslands, we recommend seed producers to test and communicate infection status or avoiding infected seed mixtures.