Farmscape for October 19, 2005  (Episode 1943)

Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food reports losses in wheat and barley from fusarium head blight have been particularly low this year.

In contrast to the situation in Manitoba, where fusarium has been a major problem, a Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food fusarium survey indicates infection has been light across the province.

Provincial Plant Disease Specialist Penny Pearse says the highest levels are in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan.

Clip-Penny Pearse-Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food 

Fusarium head blight was found in 32 percent of the wheat fields surveyed but the good news was that overall severity was very low and, by that, it was 0.03 percent, so that's the lowest reported in recent years.

That is good news.

The other good news with that is that main species we're concerned about, fusarium graminearum, was only found in five fields which is only about five percent of the fields that they surveyed so that's good news.

When I talk about fusarium head blight, I'll clarify that.

Fusarium head blight can be caused by a number of different fusarium species, so it's kind of like a complex of species that cause that disease but they're not all created equally.

That graminearum is the one we're most concerned with because it has the ability to produce the mycotoxin in the grain.

In barley, overall fusarium head blight was found in 56 percent of barley crops surveyed and the overall severity was 0.3 percent and in barley that number is similar to what we've seen other years.

It's low but a little bit more than it was in wheat.

Pearse says the good news is fusarium graminearum was isolated in only one barley field.

She also says irrigated crops, both wheat and barley, tend to be more susceptible to fusarium.

For Farmscape. Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council