Cereal Disease Lab Complements UM FHB Research

The USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Lab located at the U of M’s St. Paul campus complements FHB research conducted under the Minnesota Small Grains Initiative. The CDL, www.cdl.umn.edu, still focuses much of its attention on rust research, including the monitoring of rust infections in small grains across the nation.  However, some of the CDL’s research efforts is focused on FHB. 

Dr. Yue Jin joined the CDL staff as research plant pathologist in 2003.  At the CDL, his research will focus on the biology of cereal rusts, and host resistance to cereal rusts in wheat and barley. Jin, previously a plant pathology researcher at South Dakota State University, has been active in FHB research efforts. 

On-Farm Trials and Outreach
Outreach information has been instrumental in helping producers manage FHB and other production problems, and playing a key role in this effort is Dr. Jochum Wiersma, small grains specialist based at the NWROC, Crookston. Wiersma works with extension educators in the region to disseminate information, conducts on-farm cropping trials, answers producer questions and visits fields across western Minnesota for diagnostic help.  Wiersma provides educational small grains production information in meetings across western Minnesota, and is a regular contributor to Prairie Grains.