Winter barley fields in New York are past the stage for fungicide treatment, and growers are getting ready for harvest in a couple of weeks. This is a good time to assess Fusarium head blight (FHB) symptoms to anticipate issues of mycotoxin contamination in grain. Barley leaf rust, powdery mildew, scald, yellow dwarf, and Stagonospora nodorum blotch have been observed in some fields, generally at low levels.

Winter wheat continues to develop ahead of most years. Harvest is projected to begin in earliest July. Most, but not all, wheat fields are past the stage when fungicide application is effective. There is an application window of approximately 7 days from the start of flowering of wheat in which reasonable FHB and DON suppression can be expected from application of fungicide products Miravis Ace, Prosaro, Prosaro Plus, or Sphaerex. The calculated risk of FHB infection currently ranges from low to high in wheat growing regions of New York, but a drying trend is expected for the next week. Be sure to check the Fusarium Risk Assessment Tool (www.wheatscab.psu.edu) and your local weather forecast frequently. Kernel soft dough stage (approximately three weeks after flowering) is an excellent time to assess wheat for symptoms of FHB and to anticipate issues of mycotoxin contamination in grain. Stripe rust has been observed in a broad area of western New York and the Finger Lakes. Powder y mildew has been more severe than usual in some varieties this season.

--Gary Bergstrom, Extension Plant Pathologist, Cornell University