Like death and taxes, fusarium head blight is a part of every barley grower’s life in central Manitoba, said farmer Bob McCallister.
Almost every barley field surveyed in 1998 showed the presence of species that cause the disease, agreed Andy Tekauz, a plant pathologist with Agriculture Canada who recently spoke at the Canadian barley symposium in Winnipeg.
Fusarium head blight can lower yield, grade, quality and can contaminate the grain with mycotoxins, making it unsuitable for malting or feeding to livestock.
Tekauz told the recent Canadian Barley Symposium that fusarium species were sporadically found in Western Canada until 1984, when the Canadian Grain Commission started regularly surveying seed for the organism.
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Fusarium head blight became a major problem in barley in the Red River Valley in 1996 and has been spreading west through Manitoba ever since.
Now, there are trace levels of the disease in barley in eastern Saskatchewan, said Tekauz.
“There’s no question this is the most important disease of wheat and barley now in the eastern Prairies,” said Tekauz.
The organism rests in the soil and needs moisture to grow, he said.
Randy Clear, of the Canadian Grain Commission, said it’s uncertain whether the organism will become a threat in the western Prairies, where the climate is significantly drier.
AndrŽ Comeau of Agriculture Canada in Ste. Foy, Que., told the symposium fusarium head blight has been a problem for Quebec farmers for 20 years.
“I believe my western friends still underestimate the enemy,” he said.
The disease appears to be getting worse, he said, and some believe new strains of the disease are appearing.
“Fusarium head blight is real. I think it’s worse than you think,” said Comeau.
Tekauz said he is less pessimistic about the disease, but noted it has flared up around the globe.
Because so many researchers are looking at the problem, a solution is sure to turn up somewhere in the world, said Tekauz.
“It’s a very labor-intensive disease to work with, and you need very dedicated people to help you out.”
He noted new biotechnology tools are helping breeders at the Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg look for barley varieties resistant to the disease.
