Welcome to the FHB risk assessment for Maryland. This is our first commentary for this season, and they will be posted regularly throughout the small grain season from here on. Hopefully, you selected a resistant wheat variety for your planting this year after referring to the University of Maryland’s FHB evaluation of wheat varieties. A good start goes a long way in managing FHB.

Wheat in the Eastern shore of Maryland is either at jointing or booting stage and should be heading out in a week or so. Barley, however, is heading in most parts of the state. 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). Up in the north in Frederick, Harford and nearby counties, wheat plants are starting to joint, and are not at a stage prone for FHB.

The FHB risk is currently predicted to be low across the state. However, with the shower forecasted for this weekend, the risk may escalate in the coming weeks. The traditionally recommended fungicides for FHB are Prosaro, Miravis-Ace or Caramba at the right stage of the crop. Several new products are commercially available to the farmers this year for FHB management, including Sphaerex (from BASF) and Prosaro-Pro (from Bayer). Trials have been conducted over the past two years by pathologists at public Universities across multiple states (including by me at the University of Maryland) with these new products, and these new products were found to be equally effective in controlling FHB and DON in wheat and barley. The FHB-fungicides should be able to control any other foliar fungal diseases observed in wheat and barley (such as powdery mildew). Fungicides containing strobilurin should not be applied for control of FHB, as in multiple university research trials, strobilurin fungicides have been shown to increase DON levels in grain.

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

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

Wheat is flowering or near flowering across a large portion of North Carolina. Head scab risk remains extremely low due to the dry weather. No fungicide application is warranted for scab management to crops that are currently flowering or will flower in the next several days. To monitor risk, go to the web site https://www.wheatscab.psu.edu.

--Christina Cowger, Small Grains Pathologist, North Carolina State University

The Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center estimates disease risk for wheat and barley.

Wheat in TN, KY and NC is approaching growth stages that are vulnerable to Fusarium infection. Disease risk is currently low for much of this region but there are a few areas of moderate risk in KY and TN. Growers in these areas should be watching weather for additional periods of humid, rainy weather that could stimulate disease.

Tips of using the tool: The tool shows the disease risk for susceptible wheat varieties for todays date. You can select earlier assessment dates by clicking on the calendar menu at the top of the risk map. Use the menu button on the upper left to active risk maps for wheat varieties with other levels of genetic resistance to Fusarium head blight.

The risk maps based on 2, 4 or 6 days of forecasted weather are currently inactive within the tool. These features should be available soon. Please note that the colors showing the different levels of disease risk changed this year. The lowest level of disease risk is now represented as yellow on the risk map. Moderate and high levels of risk are represented orange and red, respectively.

--Erick DeWolf, Plant Pathologist, Kansas State University

Due to dry weather, head scab risk in North Carolina and surrounding states is low for wheat and barley fields flowering now. The forecast is mostly dry, so risk will remain low for crops flowering in the next 7-10 days. Many small grain fields in NC are at or near heading. To monitor risk, go to the web site https://www.wheatscab.psu.edu. In the upper left corner, the plus key lets you zoom in. Just above it, clicking on the square allows you to choose the level of resistance of your wheat variety. Risk level is given for wheat flowering on the date selected at the top.

--Christina Cowger, Small Grains Pathologist, North Carolina State University

The Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center estimates disease risk for wheat and barley.

Wheat in the Southern US is approaching growth stages that are vulnerable to Fusarium infection. Disease risk is currently low for much of this region. The moisture brought by recent rain may elevate the risk in some areas. Growers in these areas should be watching weather for additional periods of humid, rainy weather that could stimulate disease.

Tips of using the tool: The tool shows the disease risk for susceptible wheat varieties for todays date. You can select earlier assessment dates by clicking on the calendar menu at the top of the risk map. Use the menu button on the upper left to active risk maps for wheat varieties with other levels of genetic resistance to Fusarium head blight.

The risk maps based on 2, 4 or 6 days of forecasted weather are currently inactive within the tool. These features should be available soon. Please note that the colors showing the different levels of disease risk changed this year. The lowest level of disease risk is now represented as yellow on the risk map. Moderate and high levels of risk are represented orange and red, respectively.

--Erick DeWolf, Plant Pathologist, Kansas State University

The Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center is now active for the 2022 growing season. These tools provide daily estimates of disease risk for wheat and barley in 35 states. Please note that the colors showing the different levels of disease risk changed this year. The lowest level of disease risk is now represented as yellow on the risk map. Moderate and high levels of risk are represented orange and red, respectively.

Tips of using the tool: The tool shows the disease risk for susceptible wheat varieties for todays date. You can select earlier assessment dates by clicking on the calendar menu at the top of the risk map. Use the menu button on the upper left to active risk maps for wheat varieties with other levels of genetic resistance to Fusarium head blight.

The risk maps based on 2, 4 or 6 days of forecasted weather are currently inactive within the tool. These features should be available soon.

--Erick DeWolf, Plant Pathologist, Kansas State University

The wheat and barley production season is complete and the Fusarium Prediction Center is no longer developing daily maps of disease risk. Most areas of the current risk map are shaded gray, indicating that the crops are well past these critical growth stages for Fusarium infection. Users can access risk maps from earlier in the growing season by selecting the dates of interest from the assessment date calendar. These historical assessments of disease are most accurate for dates matching the time periods when the location crop was at the heading and flowering stages of growth.

--Erick DeWolf, Plant Pathologist, Kansas State University

The wheat and barley production season is drawing to close in many areas of the US. The current Fusarium risk map is focused on area of ND and MN where some late planted fields may still be vulnerable to the disease. Most other areas of the US are well past the critical growth stages or have already been harvested. These areas of the risk map are shaded gray on the risk map.

--Erick DeWolf, Plant Pathologist, Kansas State University

It is only getting hotter and drier across Minnesota. Over half of the state is now in severe drought or worse. Neither the scouts nor I found Fusarium head blight, leaf rust, bacterial leaf streak this past week in either wheat or barley. I was able to find some tan spot here and there in addition to the oddball plant with symptoms of BYDV, loose smut, or wheat stem maggot. The most interesting find was a plant that had formed adventitious roots on the first node as a result of (what looked like ) latent common root rot infection. This is something I had only seen before as a result of temporary flooding (which is the one thing I know for sure the wheat in this field did not suffer through this year)

The first fields winter wheat and rye have been harvested in southern Minnesota. I have not heard any yield reports from commercial fields. A few plots in the winter wheat variety trial near LeCenter passed the 80 bushels/acre mark.

I expect the first spring wheat to be ready in the Crookston area by the first half of next week; another sign that it is extremely dry in the Crookston area.

This was the last small grains pest and disease update for the 2021 season. And while it will likely not be a bountiful harvest, I do wish everyone a safe harvest.

--Jochum Wiersma, Small Grains Specialist, University of Minnesota