Flowering is 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 low in these areas and so no fungicide application is needed. For most parts, wheat is now in the grain-filling stage and should be ready for harvesting in the next couple of weeks. We experienced some showers this season, but the temperatures remained low, so symptom development in terms of bleached spikelets is limited especially if the planted variety is resistant. It is advisable to get the DON content of the harvested grain samples analyzed before taking it to the market.

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

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

Wheat in the Eastern shore and the Southern part of the Western shore of Maryland has finished flowering, except for a few late-planted fields. Up in the Northwestern counties of the state (Frederick, Howard, Carroll, Harford) also wheat is either flowering currently or is already past flowering. In spite of the sporadic rain events, the risk for FHB is low currently, mostly because of the cool spring season that we are experiencing. We are observing some powdery mildew, rusts, and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) in some of our test plots at Wye right now. If you are noticing these foliar diseases and thinking of controlling them, it is important to remember that Strobulurin-containing fungicides should not be applied at this stage even for controlling these. BYDV cannot be controlled by fungicides as it is a viral disease. The FHB fungicides (Prosaro/ Miravis-Ace/ Sphaerex/ Prosaro-Pro) will be able to control the other fungal foliar diseases as well.

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

Wheat in Maryland is mostly either flowering or finishing up flowering. As I always say, genetic resistance goes a long way in FHB management. If you planted a resistant variety the FHB risk is minimal at this point, whereas if you have a susceptible variety, the risk is catching up. So, if your wheat is flowering currently, and you have a susceptible variety, it is suggested to consider fungicide application for FHB management. The recommended stage for application of fungicides on wheat is at flowering (50% of the main tillers showing yellow anthers) or within 4-5 days of that. The fungicides effective for FHB are Miravis-Ace/ Prosaro/ Prosaro-Pro/ Sphaerex). These fungicides do not need to be tank mixed with another product for spraying. The fungicide products should be applied at the full rate recommended by the manufacturers. Strobilurin containing fungicides should not be sprayed at this stage. If your wheat is past flowering already, you don’t need to spray these fungicides. However, if it is not flowering yet, it's a good idea to keep a watch on the weather and the FHB risk.

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

Scab infection risk is growing across the state for all resistance classes of wheat and barley, but it is variable by location. If your barley or wheat in high risk areas is heading and approaching flowering, stay alert and consider a fungicide application. Caramba, Miravis Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro Pro, and Sphaerex all provide very good scab suppression. The Miravis Ace label allows for earlier application than Caramba or Prosaro, but best results are still achieved when application is timed after full heading in barley and flowering in wheat. If weather conditions prevent fungicide application at ideal timing, an application as soon as conditions allow will still be quite effective in reducing scab and DON production. Follow labels to determine post-harvest interval constraints for the fungicide you choose.

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

With the recent showers in the state, the risk of Fusarium Head Blight has increased slightly. However, the low temperatures have prevented the risk from being too high presently. Wheat is anywhere from heading to flowering to the end of flowering in the state right now. If you have planted an FHB-resistant variety, you should be okay to skip the fungicide sprays currently. Growers who planted susceptible wheat with their wheat flowering or are within a window of 4-5 days of flowering are advised to spray head scab fungicides: Prosaro/ Prosaro-Pro/ Miravis-Ace/ Sphaerex. These fungicides do not need to be tank mixed with another product for spraying and should be applied at the full rate recommended by the manufacturers. Strobilurin-containing fungicides should not be sprayed at this stage. With more rain coming, keep an eye on the FHB risk if your wheat is not flowering yet.

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

Barley is heading across the region, and scab risk is on its way up! If you missed a fungicide application at 50% heading, there’s great news: we have recently revised our recommendations regarding fungicide timing. Work done by researchers in North Carolina found that the best spray timing for protecting winter barley from scab is application six days after 100% heading. With this new guidance we should get better DON reduction in barley than under our previous recommendation which targeted 50% heading. Current labels state that the last stage of application is mid-flower and there is a 30-day harvest restriction. Do not use any of the strobilurins (Quadris, Headline), or strobilurin/triazole (Twinline, Quilt, Stratego) combination products at flowering or later. There is evidence that they may cause an increase in mycotoxin production.

Caramba, Miravis Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro Pro, and Sphaerex all provide very good scab suppression. The Miravis Ace label allows for earlier application than Caramba or Prosaro, but best results are still achieved when application is timed after full heading in barley. Spray nozzles should be angled at 30 deg down from horizontal, toward the grain heads, using forward- and backward-mounted nozzles or nozzles with a two-directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles. Additionally, a fungicide treatment at heading using any of these products will also give you excellent control of most leaf diseases as well.

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

Wheat in the Eastern Shore of Maryland is flowering or will do so in a couple of days. Early varieties in the North are also flowering currently (Information: Mr. Andrew Kness, Harford County, UMD Extension). With this weeks rains, and more showers coming our way, the risk of Fusarium Head may increase, albeit not being high currently in the majority of the state. The FHB risk over Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties is catching up slowly. Growers with currently flowering wheat here may consider spraying head scab fungicides (Prosaro/ Prosaro-Pro/ Sphaerex/ Miravis-Ace). These fungicides do not need to be tank mixed with another product for spraying. The fungicide products should be applied at the full rate recommended by the manufacturers. Strobilurin containing fungicides should not be sprayed at this stage. Aerial application at a rate of 5 gallons per acre or ground application at 15 gallons per acre with 300-350 um droplet size is recommended. Spray nozzles should be angle d at 30-45 degrees down from horizontal, toward the grain heads, using forward- and backward-mounted nozzles or nozzles with a two directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles. If your wheat is not flowering currently, you may want to wait to see how the weather and the risk unfolds over the next couple of weeks.

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

Wheat in the Eastern Shore of Maryland is booting and should be heading out soon. In fact, some of the early-planted wheat is at the early flowering stage already (Information: Mr. Ben Beale, St. Marys County, UMD Extension). Wheat is considered to be at flowering when at least 50% of the heads of a field are beginning to show yellow anthers. Right now, FHB risk appears to be low, so if your barley is heading, or wheat is flowering, you can skip applying fungicides for now. However, the later part of the week is expected to be wet, so keep your eyes out for my risk forecasts if you are not there yet and your wheat flowers in the next few weeks. So far, no major concern from other diseases like powdery mildew or rusts has been seen in wheat in the state. Up in the western part of the state wheat is at second node to flag leaf stage, predictably around 2 weeks away from flowering. So, no need for fungicide application there yet.

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

Barley is beginning to emerge from boot in the southernmost regions of Pennsylvania. Be sure to scout for growth stage as there appears to be a good deal of variability across the region. Risk of scab infection is now increasing with increasing humidity and high 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, Sphaerex, and Miravis Ace give good control of most leaf and head diseases, in addition to suppressing scab. Spray nozzles should be angled at 30 deg 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 scab risk.

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

Welcome to the wheat and barley flowering season, Maryland! This is the first FHB risk forecast for this season from me, and I will continue to provide you with regular commentaries over the next 6-7 weeks.

Hopefully, you selected a resistant wheat variety for your planting this year after referring to the University of Maryland FHB evaluation of wheat varieties. A good start goes a long way in managing FHB. Unfortunately, for barley, there are no resistant varieties available so far. So, if you have planted barley, keep monitoring for the FHB risk over the next couple of weeks.

Barley is heading in the Eastern shore of the state currently. Because of the mostly dry weather so far, the risk of FHB is minimal right now. Wheat in the Eastern shore of Maryland is either at the jointing stage and should be heading out in a couple of weeks. So right now, wheat is not at a stage vulnerable to FHB. It is important to note that the correct stage for spraying fungicides on wheat is at flowering (when the yellow anthers start to show on the heads), whereas on barley it is at heading (when the heads emerge from the boots). On the western side of the shore in Frederick, Harford, and nearby counties, wheat plants are starting to joint, and are not at a stage prone to FHB infection.

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