On-Farm Fusarium Head Blight Management in

Irrigated Wheat

Kristina Halma – Farming Smarter

Farming Smarter Conference

Medicine Hat, Alberta – Dec. 4-5, 2012

Project Overview

• 2010-2012

• Funded by the Pest Management Centre of AAFC

• Examines use of fungicides, irrigation scheduling, and cropping system for FHB management

• Two components:

– Field trial with nine co-operator fields

– A 25-field survey

Disease Overview

• Disease overwinters here, but spores can also blow in from a distance or from neighbour’s field

• Characterized by bleached spikelets before rest of head turns colour

• Also has pinkish-orange spores on spikelet, especially near centre

• Affected kernels are chalky-coloured and shrivelled

Co-operator Trial Results

• Incidence and severity of FHB in visual ratings, FDKs, and DON levels were all reduced by both BMPs

• Avoiding irrigation during flowering reduced % FDK by up to 2.4% in 2010

• Fungicide treatment also showed up to a 5.5% reduction in FDK in 2010

• Combining fungicide use and reduced irrigation in one field improved visual ratings and reduced %FDK more than either practice by itself

Co-operator Trial Results Cont’d

• Overall yield was improved by fungicide use, and avoiding irrigation during flowering kept yields within 5% of areas irrigated during that period

• Improvement in visual ratings, % FDKs, grade, and/or yield, was greater in wheat classes and varieties that are more susceptible to FHB

– Most dramatic results in CWAD

– If you are growing a susceptible class like CWAD and/or you’re in an area where FHB is known to be, strongly consider a variety with fair or good FHB resistance, if possible

Change in CWAD Net Benefits & %FDK with Irrigation Management

(Farming Smarter Trials 2010-2011)

Change in CWAD Net Benefits & %FDK with FHB Fungicide Application

(2010-2011)

Change in CWRS Net Benefits & %FDK with FHB Fungicide Applications

(2010-2011)

Q. Why should you consider cost/return per unit of output rather than just cost/return per acre?

• Looking forward and budgeting should be per acre • Looking back it is important to consider output as

it’s a true measure of economic efficiency. • Provides information of which practices are

profitable and when • Per acre alone ignores the influence of varying

yield and price • Allows you to include the probability of a price,

yield and a profit.

Survey Results

• For this project there is also a 25-field survey component

• Visually surveyed for FHB, and samples taken

• Cultural practices, fungicide, and irrigation info (if applicable) collected

• When looking at the data a few things jumped out:

– Irrigated fields had higher levels of infection than dryland

– Biggest factor seemed to be whether the disease was prevalent in the area or not

Survey Results Cont’d

• Whether the field was irrigated or not during flowering played a smaller role than expected

• Differences in variety susceptibility played only a small role in whether fusarium was detected in the field or not

• Know your fields and those surrounding them if possible. If there’s a history of fusarium, use one or more of the BMPs

Conclusions

• Both fungicide use and irrigation work to reduce disease levels, and work best in combination

• Whether disease is in your area is the most important consideration of whether to take measures to manage it

• Consider also how susceptible your class and variety of wheat is

• Also look close at your anticipated return on investment before altering your variety choice, fungicide regime, or irrigation scheduling

On-Farm Demonstration of Biofungicides (Contans WG

and Serenade)

Farming Smarter – Kristina Halma

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Project Overview

Funded by the Pest Management Centre of AAFC as part of the Pesticide Risk Reduction Program

Purpose of project is to demonstrate how two new biofungicides, Contans WG and Serenade MAX/ASO, can be used to help control sclerotinia in canola and white mould in beans

Includes field-scale demonstrations in nine southern Alberta fields and a small plot demo at the Farming Smarter R & D site

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Producer Locations

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Disease Overview

Overwinters in the soil as sclerotia

Germinate in the spring and infect crops like canola and dry beans

Thrive, like many diseases, in moist conditions, especially when the canopy has closed

Causes infected stems, leaves and/or pods to die and rot

The Products – Contans WG

Is a preventative biofungicide

Produced by German company Prophyta, wholesaled by UAP

water dispersible granular composed of Coniothyrium minitans spores

Naturally occurring predator feeds on sclerotia bodies

Must contact sclerotia (mechanical incorporation or rain/irrigation)

Best results seen as part of integrated control strategies

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The Products – Serenade

Is a biological foliar fungicide

Produced by Agra Quest, distributed by UAP

Active ingredient is a by-product of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Suppresses numerous diseases

Applied the same as conventional fungicides

Has multiple modes of action 20

Treatments

Treatments included:

Contans – 2 and/or 4 kg/ha

Serenade – 3 L/ac or 2 x 2.5 L/ac

Other treatments included Lance, Allegro, Proline (in canola)

Untreated checks were also left in three fields over the course of the project

When canola or beans were grown visual disease ratings were taken, and yields collected

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0

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Yie

ld (

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ac)

Treatments

2010 - Co-operator 5

Bow Island

Serenade

Lance

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0

200

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1,000

1,200

Yie

ld (l

bs/

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Incidence (%)

Yield Change vs. Untreated

Contans Contans +Lance Serenade

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(1,000)

(800)

(600)

(400)

(200)

0

200

400

600

Yie

ld (l

bs/

ac)

Incidence (%)

Yield Change vs. Lance

Contans Contans +Lance Serenade

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(300)

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(200)

(150)

(100)

(50)

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Ne

t Be

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fit (

$/A

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Trial

Net Benefit Changes: Trials vs Lance

Contans Contans +Lance Serenade

Conclusions

Contans applications have yielded positive results, but also some neutral ones

Have continued to monitor the fields that have had applications

Contans is unlikely at this time to replace other fungicides, but may be used with conventional fungicides to reduce dependence on those products

Use of Contans may allow for more intensive rotation of susceptible crops

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