Many farmers are excited to not have to worry about soil moisture this growing season, as recent drought conditions have broken for many areas of the Prairies. While rain truly is a good thing, it is also one of the things that is likely to trigger fungal diseases, such as fusarium head blight (FHB).
Frequent rainfall, relatively high humidity, and temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius create ideal development conditions for fusarium graminearum, the species of fusarium that is most likely to cause cereal growers grief.
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While these are the ideal conditions for the pathogen to proliferate, anywhere between 10 and 30 degrees can see activity, says Dr. Kelly Turkington of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in this Wheat School episode.
Fusarium head blight grows on old, infected crop residues, which is the primary source of this disease. While past or consistent downgrading of wheat due to fusarium damaged kernels (FDK) or DON mycotoxin levels can be symptoms that FHB is an issue in the crop, surprisingly, yield reduction is not as good an indicator.
As Turkington explains, because the disease sets in late in the season, attacking the head and kernels directly, farmers need to use field history, past FHB incidences, and weather conditions to best predict where FHB may develop. Once symptoms are evident, it is far too late to take any course of action with a fungicide.
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