Abstract
Fusarium head blight is among the chief threats to profitable barley production, and fungicide applications are one of two main strategies for reducing FHB damage to barley crops. However, there is very little published information on optimal timing of such applications. A four-year field study was conducted with winter barley in Raleigh, North Carolina, to compare three timings for fungicide application: 50% spike emergence (Zadoks growth stage or GS 55), 100% spike emergence (GS 59), and six days after GS 59. Three winter barley cultivars with varying levels of FHB resistance were grown for four successive years (2018-2021) in a split-plot experiment and inoculated each spring with Fusarium-infected corn spawn. Three fungicides were compared: propiconazole + pydiflumetofen (Miravis Ace), prothioconazole + tebuconazole (Prosaro), and metconazole (Caramba). Correlations among visual symptoms and assays of harvested grain were modest, and were weakened by fungicide applications. Across years and cultivars, deoxynivalenol (DON) and percent Fusarium-infected kernels were most reduced relative to the nontreated control by fungicide applications at the latest timing (GS 59 + 6 d). The early (GS 55) timing resulted in DON not significantly different from the nontreated control. Based on these results, it is recommended that to minimize damage from FHB, fungicide should be applied to winter barley several days after GS 59 (100% spike emergence), and not before GS 59.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.