Manitoba has the not-so-great distinction of being the fusarium hot spot of the Canadian Prairies. This year, ample moisture and recent heat have combined to create a high-humidity soup pot of fusarium head blight growth and spread. Farmers in other provinces need to be on the look out as well, as the disease spreads west. One of the key control measures to limit yield and grade losses is fungicides applied at early flower — a narrow window to say the least.
In this Wheat School episode, Holly Derksen, field crop pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, shares her tips on scouting, the “pant leg test”, how to determine the optimal control window for fusarium and why farmers need to keep surfactant burn in mind if spraying in the heat of the day. (For more on nozzle selection for fusarium management, click here).
For a very cool map showing the fusarium risk in the province of Manitoba (updated often!), click here.
FOR MORE WHEAT SCHOOL EPISODES, CLICK HERE.
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