Much of the winter wheat in New York will begin flowering (emergence of yellow anthers on heads) over the next week. The DMI (FRAC Group 3) containing fungicides Caramba, Prosaro, or Miravis Ace (latter includes a FRAC Group 7 fungicide) are the most effective fungicides for suppression of FHB and DON contamination when applied at flowering. A flowering application of these fungicide products should be based on Fusarium head blight (FHB) risk as well as the risks of powdery mildew, rusts, and fungal leaf blotches in the upper canopy based on scouting of individual fields. There is an application window of approximately 7 days from the beginning of flowering in which reasonable FHB and DON suppression can be expected. Severe powdery mildew has been observed in some mildew-susceptible varieties. Risk of FHB infection has remained low primarily because of low temperatures which could change over the next several days. Check the Fusarium Risk Assessment Tool (www.wheatscab.psu.edu) and your local weather forecast frequently as your winter wheat crop approaches heading and flowering.

Winter malting barley is generally beyond growth stages at which a foliar fungicide application should be considered

Be sure to join us for Cornell’s Virtual Small Grains Management Field Day on June 3 at 10 AM EDT (https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccefieldcropnews/2021/05/19/2021-small-grains…).

--Gary Bergstrom, Extension Plant Pathologist, Cornell University