Fusarium head blight

Fusarium head blight is a dangerous fungal disease of cereal crops caused by the pathogen Fusarium culmorum and other species of the Fusarium genus. The disease belongs to the group of infections affecting the plant's reproductive organs during flowering and grain development, making it one of the most destructive diseases in grain farming.

The primary crop susceptible to this disease is winter wheat, although the pathogen can also affect barley, rye, oats, and maize. The infection spreads actively under conditions of high humidity and moderate temperatures, typical for the heading and flowering stages of cereals.

The first and most noticeable symptom is the premature bleaching or whitening of individual spikelets or parts of the ear, while the rest of the plant remains green. In wet weather, a characteristic pinkish-orange or reddish mold appears on the affected glumes, which represents the sporulation of the fungus.

The damage caused by Fusarium head blight is not limited to a significant reduction in the thousand-kernel weight and grain shriveling. The main danger lies in the accumulation of hazardous mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), which render the harvested grain unsuitable for food consumption or animal feed.

Protection strategies include strict crop rotation, deep tillage of crop residues, the use of resistant varieties, and seed treatment. An essential step is the timely application of fungicides during the wheat flowering phase, which effectively prevents direct infection of the ear by the pathogen.

• Maintaining crop rotation (avoiding cereal-on-cereal sequences).
• Application of triazole-class fungicides at the early flowering stage.
• Quality seed cleaning and seed treatment.
• Shredding and incorporation of corn residues and stubble into the soil.