The Cropwalker - Wheat Management Edition - FHB

Always read and follow label directions.

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Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat

This topic deserved it's own newsletter, so here it is. Thank you to those in the industry that have put time and effort into ensuring Ontario has a quality and profitable wheat crop to market. A summary of various resources below.

Wheat Flowering Time – Wheat head starts to flower from the center of the head. Then flowering and pollination occurs to the top and bottom of the head. Normally, flowering is over in 7 days. It is during this flowering period that you want to apply the FHB fungicide. Products of choice are Caramba, Miravis Ace, or Prosaro. The strobis such as Acapela, Headline AMP, Cerefit, StrategoPro, and Trivapro can increase DON levels. You should not apply strobis during pollination time. Because of field variability you have to weigh best timing with weather and availability of equipment. The preferred equipment is ground. Aerial application is less effective controlling Fusarium but still provides a yield boost.

To find the most current variety specific fusarium ratings, please visit; https://www.gocereals.ca/2018_WW_Public_Aug_2019.pdf

Expected Response to Various Combinations of Fungicide Timing

Cereal Disease ID Guide

Bayer CropScience Cereal Disease ID Guide

Product Rates and Water Volume

Syngenta has stated that other non-ionic surfactants can be used in place of Agral 90, but it must be a non-ionic surfactant.

How do the various products stack up from a disease standpoint? Here is a quick table from Michigan State University. Please note that Head Scab = Fusarium Head Blight.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/wheat/disease/FHB%20fact%20sheet%202020%20revised%20MN_MC_Final%202.pdf

Foliar Micronutrients

You have decided that you need to correct a manganese deficiency but are unsure on what product to use. There are multiples of foliar fertilizer products on the market. These can be segmented into a handful of categories, “Crop-Lift” – are typically shot-gun products that contain multiple nutrients, and possibly a growth enhancer, but not enough of any one to correct a micro-nutrient deficiency. “Crop-Segment” – type products are designed for a specific crop or species. Depending on the deficiency or crop requirements, there may or may not be able to correct the symptoms. “Elemental” type products typically contain a single micro-nutrient, that when applied at a high enough rate can correct or reduce the effects of a deficiency. So, when correcting a nutrient deficiency, ensure the product is up to the task.

Timing Guides

Here is a Twitter Video I had made last year on how I time uneven or even stands. Toss your hat in the crop, grab the stems, group the stems in the various timing groups (day -2, day -1, day 0, day 1 etc). Try to hit when 75% of the crop will be in day +1/+2 or later. With current fungicide products, it is better to be on the later side than too early. If no flowers on the head are open, you are too early for fusarium.

Timing Variable Wheat Stands - One Approach

BASF

BASF Cereal Timing Guide

Bayer

Bayer Cereal Timing Guide

Select the Right Nozzles for Proper Application

All pictures from Dr. Dave Hooker U of G Ridgetown.