In 1996, fusarium devastated the Ontario wheat crop. More than 90 percent of the crop was downgraded to feed, or sample, or simply dumped in the bush thanks to high deoxynivalenol (DON) levels.
In 2024, fusarium was back in Ontario fields, but the crop, with help from improved genetic resistance and improved fungicides, was much better equipped to defend against the fungal disease.
On this episode of the RealAgriculture Wheat School, agronomist Peter Johnson and C&M Seeds general manager Ellen Sparry look at the on-going genetic effort to improve fusarium resistance and give growers the best defense against the ongoing threat of yield and quality loss.
In the video, Johnson and Sparry examine the range of infection growers can see in their fields and the resistance and disease defense carried by current varieties. The FHB1 resistance gene for fusarium is the most recent tool breeders have identified to help control disease spread throughout the wheat head.
Sparry notes that FHB1 does not deliver complete defense against fusarium: “You still need to worry, you still need to scout, manage and spray. But it does help control fusarium incidence and DON at the end of the day.”
Johnson and Sparry also expect to see future advances in genetic resistance to fight fusarium. Breeders are now employing market assisted selection and are working hard to discover new genes that could add further protection.
Gene editing also brings tremendous potential. Earlier this year the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) cleared a regulatory pathway for gene-edited crops to be treated the same as traditionally bred varieties and cultivars. “That’s great news for producers as we move forward in fighting this disease,” says Sparry.
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