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