Prairie farmers and agronomists needing a more definitive process to detect fusarium infection in cereal grains, particularly barley, may get such a process out of research underway at the University of Saskatchewan.
Tag Archives Fusarium
Fusarium head blight mycotoxin detector in the works
Portable machine to identify contaminated kernels under development at the University of Saskatchewan
Experts doubt FBI’s claim that crop fungus smuggled by Chinese students is a threat
A biological sample that a Chinese researcher was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a “dangerous biological pathogen” is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.S. crop fields that likely poses little risk to food safety, experts said.
Two Chinese researchers accused of smuggling ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into U.S.
Fusarium poses threat
U.S. federal prosecutors have accused two Chinese nationals of smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen that had the potential to be used as an agricultural terrorism weapon into the United States for research.
Corn’s amazing nature
Practical Research: The fusarium we see in small cereal grains is the anamorph of the pink mould seen in corn
Consider that if you grow corn after wheat or vice versa and have a wet summer or fall, be prepared for possible outbreaks of pink mould/fusarium head blight in either crop in such a rotation.
Later is better when spraying for fusarium
Some advice to growers still recommends spraying earlier, but researchers say recent studies point in the opposite direction
Research and field testing in North Dakota indicate the best time to spray for fusarium head blight is when the first flowers appear in the centre of the wheat head.
Managing against fusarium takes a multi-part strategy
Tweaking fungicide timing could provide farmers with better control
Kelly Turkington, a longtime plant pathologist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, strongly supports the notion that an integrated approach to managing fusarium head blight (FHB) offers the best chance of success for cereal producers. Even so, Turkington says, in much of Manitoba and northeastern Saskatchewan, that strategy hasn’t always worked as well as […] Read more
More than one way to fight fusarium head blight
An integrated approach, using multiple best practices, can offer better chances of success
Fusarium head blight has been a stubborn threat to cereal crops in Western Canada since the 1990s. Some years are worse than others, but when the conditions favour this fungal pathogen, fusarium can cause significant losses in yield and crop quality in wheat, barley, oats and corn. The two primary weapons against fusarium — fungicides […] Read more
Sorghum sudangrass may help soil beat back diseases
The crop’s benefits for farmers are piling up, but be aware of some drawbacks, experts say
Researchers have found potential in sorghum sudangrass — a hybrid of sorghum varieties — as a fungal disease-fighting, soil-enriching grass for cover crops. Although the research was conducted in Prince Edward Island, some say there may be applications for Western Canada as well — including potential as highly-nutritious cattle feed. Two Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada […] Read more
Back to normal for cereal leaf disease in Saskatchewan
Precipitation has more or less returned to normal in Saskatchewan, but that also means cereal growers need to be more aware of leaf and other diseases, says a plant pathologist.
Plasma shows promise against fusarium-formed toxins
The fourth state of matter could someday be put to work at a malt house or feedlot near you
Researchers at the University of Alberta are harnessing a high-tech concept to decontaminate grain. They’re using cold plasma, which is created by electrical discharge in a low-pressure gas. One of the most common uses is in fluorescent lighting, which creates light with little heat. Cold plasma is the fourth state of matter, alongside solid, liquid […] Read more
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