Fusarium headblight reared its ugly, shrivelled head in more parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan this year.
While yields were hurt slightly more in 1998 than last year, officials are thanking hot harvest weather for drying up many quality problems associated with the disease.
“When it was hot and humid, everyone was thinking that this was going to be a very serious year,” said Deanna Allen, spokesperson for the Canadian Wheat Board.
In Saskatchewan, low levels of the disease were found in wheat and barley fields from Estevan to Maple Creek to Meadow Lake, said Grant Holzgang, crop protection lab supervisor with Saskatchewan Agriculture.
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Infection levels were up from last year because of wet weather during flowering, but were lower than 1996, he said.
In the Estevan, Carnduff and Canora areas, the occasional field had levels of infection between 10 to 20 percent, but those were the exception, he said.
“It’s a concern, but it is not an emergency or anything like that, by any stretch of the imagination,” said Holzgang.
Agriculture Canada researchers found 13 percent of early seeded wheat and seven percent of early seeded barley in Manitoba was infected with fusarium.
Overall, the disease will hurt yields in about 10 percent of Manitoba wheat and five percent of barley, said Gary Platford, pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture.
Last year, Manitoba farmers lost an estimated $28 million in decreased wheat yields from the disease. But Platford said wheat grades won’t be hurt as badly, since infected kernels dried up enough to be blown out of combines during harvest.
“This is the preferred conditions for reducing the effect on the grain, is to have a hot, dry harvest condition,” he said.
But in barley, infected kernels become stained and are more likely to stick around during harvest.
“There could be some grade effects in barley which would reduce the eligibility for malting,” said Platford.
Farmers harvesting barley for feed should get some samples tested if they suspect fusarium damage, said Platford.
Fusarium infection seems to be lower this year in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, where harvest is almost finished.
“I would anticipate we’ll have quite a few more bushels that meet the tolerance of the malting and brewing industry,” said John Mittleider, executive administrator for the North Dakota Barley Council.
He said local prices for malting barley have plummeted as the crop has come in.
The three states account for 40 to 45 percent of United States barley production. This year, farmers in the area planted 2.9 million acres of barley, with estimated production around three million tonnes.
During the past five years, the fusarium problem in the three states has pushed U.S. brewers and maltsters to look to Canada to find fusarium-free supplies. In 1993, the worst year for the disease, farmers in the three states lost $1 billion (U.S.) in yield and quality of barley.
Since then, losses have ranged from $200 to $400 million.
In 1993, Manitoba farmers lost 15 percent of wheat yields to fusarium. Quality was also lost because wet harvest conditions made it difficult to separate infected kernels.
