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Breeding for Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in barley is an ongoing effort. Using an integrated disease management approach that includes
disease resistance, fungicide application, and rotation was investigated in this two-year research effort. Our results indicate that varietal resistance, rather than fungicide treatment, is most critical for
managing FHB. While fungicides appear to benefit barley production in general, the effects were often not statistically significant in low disease years.
The objective of this two year experiment was to determine grain yield and kernel quality benefits from
treating four commercially-available 6-rowed malting barley cultivars and four advanced 6-rowed malting germplasm lines with different fungicide-based disease management strategies to manage FHB. Specifically, lines
in the test represent germplasm with increased resistance to FHB compared with present varieties. Placing the test in a commercial field environment allowed us to determine whether genetic resistance would support
increased disease management after a “second generation” fungicide (Prosaro) was used. If sufficient management of FHB could be achieved, successful malt barley production might once again be possible in the Red
River Valley. The 2007 experiment was planted into soybean residue at a test location near Warren, MN. Four commercially-available varieties (Drummond, Legacy, Robust, and Tradition) were planted as well as four
barley germplasm entries: Celebration and 6B01-2513 (BARI), M122 (University of Minnesota), and ND20448 (North Dakota State University).
All entries were exposed to a fungicide treatment (Table 1) at an early heading crop growth stage. Likewise, the 2008 experiment tested the same varieties and germplasm entries as before with the same fungicide treatments. Test locations were in commercial field sites near Warren and Mahnomen, MN. Data from the three experiment years were analyzed together with one exception. Deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in grain developedsufficiently at only one of the three sites. DON data from the Mahnomen-08 test location were analyzed singly.
Disease Management
FHB
disease development and associated losses were minimal at our test sites. Disease incidence was significantly less for germplasm entries compared with varieties (P=0.0096), but differences weren’t detected for FHB severity. Similarly, FHB index (= severity x incidence / 100) was higher for variety than germplasm whether fungicide was applied or not. Fungicide application had no effect on yield with one exception. Varieties responded to a Folicur application (strategy 2) resulting in an increase of 5.81 bu/A (P=0.0279) over the germplasm entries. During 2008, DON means ranged from 0.21 to 1.26 ppm at the Mahnomen site. The three germplasm entries (Celebration, ND20448, and M122) had the lowest DON levels, while Legacy had the highest. From this single site, single year data set, the no fungicide control and Folicur treatments were less effective at reducing DON than either Prosaro treatment. When fungicide treatment and entry were analyzed together, however, the Prosaro treatments didn’t significantly reduce DON levels in Celebration, ND20448, or M122 when compared with the no fungicide or Folicur treatments indicating that resistance level, rather than fungicide application, is key in managing the toxin.
Acknowledgements
This research project was funded, in part, by Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc. and the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. It was supported by NDSU, UM, Bayer CropScience, and the UM Mycotoxin lab. The
authors appreciate the support from grower cooperators Dwight and Cindy Anderson (Warren, MN), and Kelly and Perry Skaurud of Skaurud Grain Farms (Gary, MN).This material is based upon work supported by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 59-0790-8-070. This is a cooperative project with the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.-- Charla Hollingsworth, Extension plant pathologist; Chris Motteberg, Plant pathology scientist; and Linnea Skoglund, Plant pathologist (formerly of Busch AgriculturalResources, Inc. (BARI)).
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