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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #272002
Title: Biological control of Fusarium head blight in wheat caused by Gibberella zeae - a two-year, multi-location study

Author
item YUEN, G - University Of Nebraska
item JOCHUM, C - University Of Nebraska
item HALLEY, S - Langdon Extension Center
item SWEETS, L - University Of Missouri
item KIRK, W - Michigan State University
item Schisler, David

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2011
Publication Date: 8/6/2011
Citation: Yuen, G.Y., Jochum, C.C., Halley, S.A., Sweets, L.E., Kirk, W.W., Schisler, D.A. 2011. Biological control of Fusarium head blight in wheat caused by Gibberella zeae - a two-year, multi-location study [abstract]. Phytopathology. 101:S200.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Biological agents for controlling Fusarium head blight (scab) and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation in grain are needed to augment host resistance and chemical fungicides or to serve as the primary management tool where the other strategies are not available. Field experiments were conducted in 2009 and 2010 at six sites to evaluate two biocontrol materials, one being a mixture of two yeast strains, Cryptococcus flavescens OH 182.9 (NRRL Y-30216) and C. aureus OH 71.4 (NRRL Y-30213), that were co-cultured in the same fermentor. The other was Taegro, a commercial product containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB24. The biocontrol materials were tested as stand-alone treatments or applied in combination with a commercial fungicide Prosaro 421 SC (prothioconazole plus tebuconazole). When applied alone, the biologicals reduced scab levels relative to the control in some individual experiments and averaged across experiments. The biological treatments, however, were not as efficacious as the fungicide alone. Although the various biocontrol-fungicide combinations did not confer any significant advantage over a single fungicide application in regard to controlling scab, applying either biocontrol material as a sequential treatment several days after the fungicide was more effective than the fungicide alone in reducing DON content in the harvested grain. Presumably, this advantage was due to the biological agents inhibiting late infections.