Welcome to the Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center, 2020. The system has undergone some major revisions in the off-season and it may help to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the new tools. The new interface focuses attention on the map-based risk of disease for the current date. The calendar icon that allows users to select dates of interest for your area. The date you select should correspond to times when your wheat is flowering, because the crop is most susceptible to infection at this stage. There is also a menu icon in the upper left corner that allows users to customize the model predictions for winter vs. spring wheat, and account for wheat varieties with different levels of genetic susceptibility to Fusarium head blight.

The focus of the prediction effort is currently on Central Kansas, Northern Missouri, Central Illinois, Central Indiana, Southern Ohio and Southeastern Pennsylvania where wheat is already at the heading and flowering stages of growth. The models a high level of risk for susceptible and moderately susceptible wheat varieties for much of this region. Growers in these areas should consult with local advisors to determine other local factors that might also influence the risk of disease.

--Erick De Wolf, Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University

For more details, go to the FHB Risk assessment tool at http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu

For the latest news and updates from the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative, go to https://www.scabusa.org