Authors: Heather Darby 1 Hillary Emick 1, and John Bruce 1
1. University of Vermont State and Agricultural College, Burlington, VT 05405
Corresponding Author: Heather Darby, heather.darby@uvm.edu
Presenting Author: Heather Darby
Abstract
Public interest in sourcing local foods has extended into beverages leading to a rapid expansion of the northeast malting industry. This has provided farmers with new market opportunities and many of these markets are interested in purchasing certified organic barley. However, all farmers are struggling to produce barley that is not infected with FHB and DON. In Vermont during 2024 we observed the disease and yield impact of inoculation with Fusarium graminearum, and treatment with two organic fungicides at two timings. The ChampION® and Double Nickel fungicides were applied at heading. ChampION was also applied both at heading and 4 days after heading. Finally, in combination ChampION was applied at heading with an application of Double Nickel 4 days after heading. The 2024 growing season was conducive to Fusarium infection with mild conditions and above average rainfall throughout the spring and summer. All fungicide treatments and timings, including the control and the Fusarium inoculated plots, had DON concentrations above the 1 ppm threshold recommended by the FDA. However, there were significant differences observed in DON concentrations for the fungicide treatments. The highest DON concentration was in the ChampION treatment (applied at heading) at 3.82 ppm and was significantly higher than all other treatments. The ChampION treatment applied at heading and 4 days after heading had the lowest DON concentration (1.44 ppm) but was statistically similar to ChampION applied at heading combined with Double Nickel applied 4 days after heading, the uninoculated control, and the Fusarium inoculated plots. Overall, the organic treatments did not reduce DON concentrations compared to the control; however, the application of organic fungicides at heading and 4 days after heading provided some control over just one application at heading. Additional research should be conducted to evaluate combinations of organic fungicides and timing of application.