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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #350491
Title: Effects of fungicide chemical class and cultivar resistance on fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol in winter wheat under field and postharvest storage conditions

Author
item WEGULO, STEPHEN - University Of Nebraska
item BOLANOS-CARRIEL, CARLOS - University Of Nebraska
item HALLEN-ADAMS, HEATHER - University Of Nebraska
item BAENZIGER, STEPHEN - University Of Nebraska
item ESKRIDGE, KENT - University Of Nebraska
item Funnell-Harris, Deanna
item MCMASTER, NICOLE - University Of Virginia
item SCHMALE, DAVID - University Of Virginia

Submitted to: Botanical Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2018
Publication Date: 3/28/2018
Citation: Wegulo, S.N., Bolanos-Carriel, C., Hallen-Adams, H., Baenziger, S.P., Eskridge, K.M., Funnell-Harris, D.L., Mcmaster, N., Schmale, D.G. 2018. Effects of fungicide chemical class and cultivar resistance on fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol in winter wheat under field and postharvest storage conditions. Botanical Society of America Proceedings. [abstract].In:Proceedings of the 7th International/16th National Conference of the Pakistan Botanical Society, March 23-27, 2018 Peshawar, Pakistan.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, reduces yield and quality and contaminates wheat grain with the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). One of the management tactics for FHB and DON is the application of a fungicide at the anthesis growth stage. In the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons, the efficacy of two fungicide chemical classes (triazole and strobilurin) in controlling FHB in the field and DON in the field and in postharvest storage was evaluated in two winter wheat cultivars in Nebraska, USA. The cultivars were Overland (moderately resistant) and Overley (susceptible). The triazole Prosaro (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) and the strobilurin Headline (pyraclostrobin) were applied with a CO2-powered backpack sprayer at anthesis. A split plot design in randomized complete blocks with four replications was used. Main plots were cultivars and subplots were fungicide treatments. FHB index and DON were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in Overland and triazole-treated plots than in Overley and strobilurin-treated plots in both growing seasons. In postharvest storage of cleaned grain of cultivar Overland (2015 growing season), DON concentration was higher in grain from strobilurin-treated than check plots and lowest in triazole-treated plots, indicating that the strobilurin elevated DON over the check treatment in healthy-looking grain. DON in grain from plots treated with the strobilurin was not different (P > 0.05) between 0 days and 120 days (4.37 ppm and 4.08 ppm) whereas DON significantly decreased from 0 days to 120 days in grain from plots treated with the triazole (2.68 ppm to 2.24 ppm) as well as in grain from non-sprayed check plots (3.61 ppm to 2.98 ppm). In postharvest storage of healthy-looking grain of cultivar Overley (2016 growing season), DON levels were similar (P > 0.05) in the check and strobilurin treatments at 0 days and at 120 days and higher in these two treatments than in the triazole treatment. DON significantly increased from 0 days to 120 days in the check treatment (3.09 ppm to 3.63 ppm) and in the strobilurin treatment (2.86 ppm to 3.49 ppm), but did not increase over the 120-day period in the triazole treatment (2.23 ppm to 2.25 ppm). These results indicated that 1) the triazole fungicide was more effective in controlling FHB and DON in the field and in storage than the strobilurin fungicide which elevated DON in healthy-looking grain of cultivar Overland; therefore, strobilurin fungicides should not be used to control FHB and DON, and 2) DON in storage decreased in the moderately resistant cultivar Overland but increased in the susceptible cultivar Overley, indicating the desirable effect of resistance in reducing DON. Based on these results, cultivars with resistance to FHB and DON should be grown when available and susceptible cultivars should be avoided when possible in FHB-prone regions.