The Red River Valley wheat crop couldn’t look better this year - at least the wheat in those areas that haven’t experienced flooding, hail, or tornadoes. As we all know, a good stand today doesn’t automatically mean a great harvest. Much depends on what happens to the crop until the time it is put into the bin. If the weather remains wet and humid, it leaves little to one’s imagination as to which disease will dominate as heading and flowering growth stages get nearer.

Management of Fusarium head blight (scab) is most successful when an integrated approach is used. This includes crop rotation, using a variety with resistance, watching the scab forecasting website (http://mawg.cropdisease.com ) for risk information, and applying a fungicide if needed. For several years, we have been conducting on-farm disease management trials to identify varietal responses to fungicide application.

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2007 Summary:
Varieties responded well to the growing environment, producing excellent yields of high quality grain. Fungicide application increased net returns compared with the no fungicide treatment for many varieties even during a year of relatively low disease pressure. This phenomenon was not limited to certain fungicide products or varieties.

2007 Results of Disease Management Trials
by Wheat variety (part 3)

Charla Hollingsworth, Doug Holen,
and Chris Motteberg