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