Alberta Registers Folicur 432 Fr

EDMONTON - May 26/05 - SNS -- Folicur 432 Fr has received emergency registration for use to combat fusarium headblight (FHB) in corn and wheat, barley, oats and other small cereal grains in Alberta.

The diseases is caused by several species of Fusarium; however, Fusarium graminearum is the primary species involved. In 1999, Fusarium graminearum was declared a pest under the Alberta Agricultural Pests Act.

"FHB is a disease that reduces yield and grade and may also contaminate the grain with mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin," says Paul Laflamme P.Ag., provincial integrated pest management specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Grande Prairie.

"This toxin is produced primarily by F. graminearum. Non-ruminants such as hogs are the most sensitive to the presence of DON. DON also affects wheat flour, causing bread to not rise, and malt barley meal, causing excessive foaming in beer. Most maltsters have a zero-tolerance policy for DON in malt barley. There is also concern with DON in cereals used for making baby food."

In 2002, Alberta introduced a provincial strategy known as the Alberta Fusarium graminearum Management Plan. The long-term goal of the management plan is to prevent the introduction and establishment of F. graminearum in Alberta until effective disease control measures, such as the development of resistant wheat and barley cultivars, are developed.

"Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, FHB has started showing up with increasing frequency in highly susceptible durum wheat fields grown under irrigation in southern Alberta," says Laflamme. "It has been decided to pursue an emergency use registration of Folicur 432 Fr, a foliar fungicide registered for the suppression of FHB in wheat to provide producers with a tool to manage this disease in affected areas. This emergency use registration for Alberta is only for wheat and is only in effect from May 5 to December 31, 2005."

FHB is extremely difficult to control; therefore, only suppression of the disease is provided. FHB outbreaks occur when the weather is warm and wet during the flowering to soft dough stages.

For protection against FHB, the application of Folicur 432 Fr should only be considered when these weather conditions are forecast during the flowering to soft dough stages of wheat development. Research has shown that wheat varieties with higher natural FHB resistance also show better response to Folicur 432 Fr treatment.

"Timing of application is very important," adds Laflamme. "For optimum suppression of FHB, apply Folicur 432 Fr within the period from when at least 75 per cent of the wheat heads on the main stem are fully emerged to when 50 per cent of the heads on the main stem are in flower."

Since symptoms of FHB are not yet present, the decision to apply Folicur 432 Fr needs to be based on past history of the field and environmental conditions at the time of flowering. If FHB was in the field last year, or in a neighboring field, and it has been wet or rain is forecast during the flowering stage of the wheat, then an application of Folicur 432 Fr should be considered.

Spray coverage is also very important. Spray equipment must be set up to ensure that the entire wheat head is covered with spray solution. Folicur 432 Fr should be applied in a minimum of 40 liters of spray solution per acre by ground sprayer or 19 liters of spray solution per acre by aerial spray equipment. Avoid excessive water volume (maximum 80 L) at flowering time of wheat because this situation can increase the risk of infection. The use of the lowest labeled rate of any registered non-ionic surfactant, such as Agral 90r (0.02% v/v) or AgSurfr (0.1%), is also recommended.

"A maximum of 118 mL of Folicur 432 Fr may be applied per acre per crop season," says Laflamme.