Fusarium head blight is on the increase in Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan.
Warm weather and moisture during and after flowering favors the fungal development.
It causes reductions in crop yield and quality and possible accumulations of mycotoxins.
No registered varieties of wheat or barley are resistant to the disease, but breeders are working on the problem.
However, Myrian Fernandez of the Agriculture Canada’s Swift Current Research Centre and Randy Clear of the Canadian Grain Commission said in a news release that producers can partly manage the problem by selecting the right crops and varieties.
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Durum, Canada prairie spring and winter wheat are the most susceptible to scab.
Hard red spring wheats are generally less susceptible. Among these, AC Barrie, AC Cora, Katepwa, AC Majestic, McKenzie and AC Cadillac appear to sustain less damage than other varieties.
The most tolerant barley cultivars are the two-row AC Metcalfe and AC Oxbow, the six-row Argyle and Tankard and the hulless variety CDC Silky.
“Under average weather conditions in Saskatchewan, a rotation with a non-cereal crop for at least one year would help to reduce the inoculum levels of this pathogen,” according to the news release.
Clean seed
In areas where scab is not present, using clean seed might help delay introduction. Seed treatment such as Vitaflow 280 should be used if the farmer is uncertain about whether the seed is free of fungus.
However, this does not guarantee prevention of fusarium development because the inoculum can come from infected residue on the soil surface.
Scout fields during the growing season, particularly if humidity during flowering has been high. If the crop appears to be infected, consider adjusting the combine air velocity and openers to blow out the fusarium-damaged kernels at harvest.
Cleaning grain after harvest might also reduce grade losses and toxin content.
Unfortunately, even after removal of infected kernels, there might still be some of the toxin left in the grain.
