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United Kingdom
May 23, 2008

HGCA has updated its fusarium mycotoxin risk assessment tool for this season, enabling growers to monitor the situation on their farms in the run-up to and during harvest 2008.

"The tool has been revised to take account of the latest research findings and to make it easier for growers to use, based on feedback from the HGCA winter events," said Roger Williams, HGCA's assistant director of research. "It is the tool to use this season to assess the risk of fusarium mycotoxins in your wheat."

"In response to concerns during the 2007 harvest, the industry adopted the HGCA risk assessment scheme. Performing a fusarium risk assessment is required by crop assurance schemes and became mandatory as part of the grain passport for wheat in 2007," said Roger Williams. "For 2008, nabim and AIC member companies will continue to undertake early harvest testing, which may identify high risk counties. Results will be posted on the HGCA website alongside the risk assessment tool."

Mycotoxins are toxic chemicals produced by specific fungi infecting crops. Fusarium mycotoxins are produced while the wheat crop is growing and are extremely unlikely to increase after harvest under UK conditions.

In the field, infection of ears by some Fusarium species can result in mycotoxins when weather is warm and wet at flowering. Wet weather also delays harvest and increases mycotoxin risk. Wheat crops infected at flowering may have individual bleached spikelets or partially bleached ears, resulting in pink or chalky-white shrivelled grains at harvest. However, there is little correlation between fusarium damaged grain and mycotoxin occurrence.

Legal limits exist for fusarium mycotoxins in wheat intended for human consumption and there are guidance limits for grain for feed. The risk of exceeding these limits in the UK is relatively low but varies with year, region, weather and agronomy.

HGCA has published a new topic sheet outlining the action points for growers and including the wheat risk assessment for 2008. 'Managing fusarium mycotoxin risk in wheat intended for human food - harvest 2008'. Topic Sheet 102 is available on the HGCA website, together with a downloadable version of the risk assessment tool at www.hgca.com.

The new topic sheet and the risk assessment tool will be demonstrated on the HGCA stand at Cereals, with experts available to answer any questions.

- HGCA Topic Sheet 102
- HGCA Fusarium Mycotoxin Risk Assessment Tool

Link to Guidelines to minimise risk of fusarium mycotoxins in cereals:
http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=3848
(Autumn 2007 update)

HGCA Topic Sheet 102
Managing fusarium mycotoxin risk in wheat
intended for human food
Harvest 2008

This Topic Sheet updates earlier publications on the HGCA risk assessment scheme and shows how farmers can access online information on risk as the season progresses.

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