EFFECT OF FUNGICIDE APPLICATION TIMING ON FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT IN DURUM WHEAT. Abstract uri icon

abstract

  • Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most important diseases of wheat in Canada. Presently farmers rely on the current recommendation to apply fungicide at 50% anthesis (BBCH 65) to manage the disease. Field trails were carried out from 2016- 2018 at Saskatoon, Melfort, Scott, Outlook and Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada to assess the effect of fungicide application timing and seeding rates of durum wheat on FHB. Eight treatments of metconazole fungicide ‘Caramba®’ were applied to two seeding-rate treatments: 400 seeds/m2 and 75 seeds/m2. The fungicide treatments consisted of an untreated check (no fungicide), a treated check (fungicide application at all stages), applications at BBCH 59 (heading), BBCH 61 (early anthesis), BBCH 65 (50% anthesis), BBCH 69 (late anthesis), BBCH 73 (soft dough), and two applications at BBCH 61 followed by BBCH 73. Evaluated parameters were: FHB index (IND), per cent Fusarium-damaged kernels (% FDK), deoxynivalenol (DON), protein and yield. Seeding rate influenced all these parameters; the higher seeding rate had higher IND and yield, but a lower level of FDK, DON, and protein as compared to the lower seeding rate. All fungicide treatments led to lower IND, DON, and FDK than the untreated check in the cultivar CDC Desire (highly susceptible). Under extended wet conditions, when there was a high risk of FHB, all treatments during anthesis (BBCH 61 to BBCH 69) showed similar effects on IND, FDK, DON content and yield. In years with moderate disease pressure, however, the application at BBCH 65 (full flowering: 50% of anthers mature) showed lower disease and toxin relative to other anthesis applications. There was no significant advantage of applying late application (BBCH 73) in reducing DON concentration. The results of dualapplication (BBCH 61 + BBCH 73) treatment showed similar effects as the application at BBCH 65 for disease control, FDK level and toxin accumulation at all site-years.

publication date

  • July 2019