Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112Diseases 18 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta Through careful management growers can get a handle on this devastating disease. TAKING CONTROL OF FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT FUSARIUM head blight has been slowly making its way across Alberta. By now its incidence is too widespread to avoid, and its’ cost to farmers too high to ignore. While there is currently no way to eradicate the disease, through careful management growers can get a handle on potential financial losses. “Breeders need time to develop resistant varieties,” says Michael Harding, research scientist, plant pathology with Alberta Agriculture and Food in Brooks, Alta. “In the meantime, by practicing good management practices growers who have the disease are able to reduce its impact. Those who don’t have it are able to delay the development of the disease, but even if you are doing everything, you can still get Fusarium head blight. However most growers can mitigate some of the damage with their farming practices.” Fusarium head blight (FHB) is primar- ily caused by the pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Across Canada, FHB costs Canadian growers between $50-300 million annually depending on the disease severity in any given year. Its potential damage to cereal growers is three-fold: it can have a significant impact on yield, it causes Fusarium damaged kernels (FDKs) which result in downgrading at the eleva- tor, and it can produce the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), which is harmful to humans and livestock and therefore limits market access. While FHB has been in Canada since the early 1900s, it was primarily an eastern Canadian disease up until its first appear- ance in Alberta in the late 1980s. It was Multiple management practices are required to control Fusarium head blight. Photos courtesy of Michael Harding