Alberta farmers are urged to have their seed grain tested for fusarium, especially seed coming from the southern area where there has been an increase in the disease, said an Alberta Agriculture pest risk management specialist.
Paul Laflamme said the department has been getting reports of the disease especially around Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.
“We saw a definite increase in the amount of fusarium head blight symptoms on wheat in southern Alberta last year. I guess that raises some concern for us and the possibility of the spread of that seed into the rest of Alberta,” said Laflamme.
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With the poor quality of seed grain grown in other parts of the province because of bad harvest weather, Laflamme is concerned the infected seed might move out of the southwestern corner of the province and into the rest of the grain growing areas.
The first official report of fusarium in Alberta was in 1988, but the disease took off about three years ago with wet weather. It is normally found in high rainfall areas of the Prairies, or under irrigation, especially on durum and soft white spring wheat, the two most susceptible crops grown under irrigation.
“We always figured if it was going to show up in Alberta in any amount, it would be down south.”
When buying seed, farmers should ask for a certificate that the seed is disease free. Farmers can also get their own molecular test done at one of the seed labs in the province in about two days.
