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The Fusarium Head Blight Risk Assessment Tool can be accessed on-line at:


https://www.wheatscab.psu.edu


FHB Update for PA, 4/27/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 27, Apr 2022
Some barley is beginning to emerge from boot in the southernmost regions of Pennsylvania. Be sure to scout for growth stage as your crop may be deceivingly short this year. Risk of scab infection is currently low given the cool temperatures. Keep a watchful eye on your crop, and if you plan to spray for head scab, target a fungicide application when 50% of the barley stems in the field are fully headed. Caramba, Prosaro and Miravis Ace give good control of most leaf and head diseases, in addition to suppressing scab. Spray nozzles should be angled at 30° down from horizontal, toward the grain heads, using forward- and backward mounted nozzles or nozzles with a two directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles. Continue to visit wheatscab.psu.edu to use the Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center for estimating your crop’s scab risk.

--Alyssa A. Collins, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University

FHB Update for PA, 6/4/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 4, Jun 2021
Scab infection risk is growing across the state, but especially in the West and North for all resistance classes of wheat. If your wheat in these areas is heading and approaching flowering, stay alert and consider a fungicide application. Caramba, Prosaro and Miravis Ace give good control of most leaf and head diseases, in addition to suppressing scab. Spray nozzles should be angled at 30° down from horizontal, toward the grain heads, using forward- and backward mounted nozzles or nozzles with a two directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles.

Continue to visit wheatscab.psu.edu to use the Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center for estimating your crop’s scab risk.

--Alyssa A. Collins, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University

FHB Update for MD, 6/4/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 4, Jun 2021
Flowering is all finished across all counties of Maryland now, except for a few late planted fields in the northern part of MD that may still be flowering. Currently the risk of FHB is high in these areas and so FHB fungicides (Prosaro/ Miravis-Ace/ Caramba) should be applied here. For most parts, wheat is now in the grain filling stage and should be ready for harvesting in the next couple of weeks. For most parts of the flowering season, we stayed relatively dry, and so far, we have not observed symptom development in terms of bleached spikelets. However, with the recent rains DON content of grains may escalate. It is advisable to get the DON content of the harvested grain analyzed before taking it to the market.

This is the last FHB risk commentary of the season, but feel free to contact me (email: nidhirwt@umd.edu) if you have any questions related to wheat diseases any time of the year!

--Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist, University of Maryland

FHB Update for PA, 5/28/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 28, May 2021
Pockets of higher scab infection risk exist in Western and Northern PA as we wrap up May. Those growers who are working with highly susceptible varieties that are about to flower should consider a fungicide application on those crops. Generally, recent dry weather has driven down risk levels for most varieties across the state, but central and Northern growers should keep an eye on their risk map as rain-generating weather fronts become more frequent.

--Alyssa A. Collins, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University

FHB Update for MD, 5/27/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 28, May 2021
Wheat is at the dough stage in the lower eastern and lower western shore of the state. Wheat is well past the stage of FHB infection and spray here. This year, we were lucky to not be at high FHB risk in this part of the state. Some other fungal foliar diseases such as Septoria tritici blotch, Stagonospora nodorum blotch, glume blotch, and tan spot have been observed. However, the damage due to these diseases is not going to be substantial now, and growers in this region do not need to spray fungicides for controlling these diseases. This week and next would be the time to start looking for bleached spikelets to assess FHB severity. Up in the North, wheat has finished/ is finishing up flowering. FHB risk for today and for the next three days appears to be low here, especially for a moderately resistant variety. If you are worried about foliar diseases mentioned above, the triazole fungicides do an excellent job of controlling these diseases as well. Strobilurin containing fungicides should be avoided at this stage.

--Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist, University of Maryland

FHB Update for MD, 5/23/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 23, May 2021
Wheat in the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Southern Maryland on the west of shore is finishing up flowering. If your wheat has flowered already, you have likely escaped FHB risk successfully this year. Wheat in the Northern parts (Frederick, Carroll and Harford counties) is either flowering/ will soon start flowering. The FHB risk the state is predicted to be low currently and in the next couple of days to come. If your wheat is yet to flower within this week or the next, keep an eye on the FHB forecasts. I will post updated risk commentaries, if things change over the next week.

--Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist, University of Maryland

FHB Update for MD, 5/14/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 14, May 2021
Currently the risk of Fusarium Head Blight appears to be low in the state of Maryland. In the Eastern Shore and the Southern part of the state wheat is flowering/towards the end of flowering. Growers with their wheat still flowering or are within a window of 4-5 days of flowering are still advised to keep an eye on the FHB risk forecast. In the Northern counties, we are still around 7-10 days away from flowering and wheat does not currently need FHB fungicide spray here either.

--Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist, University of Maryland

FHB Update for PA, 5/14/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 14, May 2021
Wheat growers in western PA should watch their crops closely for heading and flowering moving into the weekend, when very susceptible varieties will be at high risk for scab infection. If you choose to spray, target your wheat crop at early flowering. Caramba, Prosaro and Miravis Ace give good control of most leaf and head diseases, in addition to suppressing scab. Spray nozzles should be angled at 30° down from horizontal, toward the grain heads, using forward- and backward mounted nozzles or nozzles with a two directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles. Continue to visit wheatscab.psu.edu to use the Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center, as your fields begin to flower.

--Alyssa A. Collins, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University

FHB Update for MD, 5/10/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 10, May 2021
Wheat in the Eastern Shore of Maryland is flowering (50% of the main tillers showing yellow anthers) or will do so in a couple of days. With no rains predicted over the next 10 days, currently the risk of Fusarium Head Blight is showing up to be low so far. No fungicides are needed to be sprayed if your wheat is currently flowering, especially if you have selected a resistant variety. Barley is already headed in this part of the state and is out of the vulnerability stage for FHB. In case the rain predictions do not turn out to be true for this week (which happens sometimes, given we are in Maryland!!), I will update my commentaries indicating so. In that case head scab fungicides (Prosaro/ Caramba/ Miravis-Ace) at wheat flowering or within 4-5 days of this stage. Up in the North on the western side of the bay, wheat is booting, and still roughly around 1-2 weeks away from flowering. Farmers in these counties (Harford, Frederick, Howard etc.) will be updated about the risk as wheat p rogresses.

--Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist, University of Maryland

FHB Update for PA, 5/10/2021

Submitted by Mid Atlantic S… on 10, May 2021
Scab risk across the majority of PA remains low early this week, a result of unseasonably cool temperatures. However, for barley that is now heading in western PA, a protective fungicide application may be advised for susceptible or very susceptible varieties. Barley growers in the northern tier of PA should keep an eye on their crops for heading as current weather forecasts predict higher risk for those areas in the near future. Check your risk level any time at www.wheatscab.psu.edu.

--Alyssa A. Collins, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University
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