South Perth, Western Australia
January 12, 2009
The Department of
Agriculture and Food has confirmed the detection of fusarium
head blight in a small number of wheat and barley samples
delivered from the south coast.
Department grains industry director Peter Metcalfe said four
strains of fusarium, which cause head blight, had been detected
in samples of pink-stained grain collected by Cooperative Bulk
Handling.
“There has been no evidence of Fusarium graminearum which is
most commonly associated with fusarium head blight toxin
production,” he said.
“Most of the pink stained samples did not contain fusarium, but
rather yeast and physiological damage which are not unusual
given the unseasonal weather conditions in the region.”
Fusarium head blight infection is favoured by wet conditions
during flowering and grain fill of cereal crops. It can cause
yield reductions and quality defects in grain including
discoloured and shrivelled kernels, depressed seed weights,
reduced seed quality and vigour and production of fungal toxins.
Mr Metcalfe said the extremely wet conditions experience in
November and December 2008 was the likely cause of the fungus.
“The fungus infects a range of winter and summer cereals and
grasses and can survive on the residues for a number of seasons,
particularly under no-tillage,” he said
“Spores are produced on the crop residues during warm moist
weather and are dispersed by wind and rain splash.”
Mr Metcalfe said growers were advised to deliver all
pink-stained grain to CBH. Any affected grain kept on farm
should be tested for the presence of toxins.
More information about the disease and how to look for it will
be made available to growers at this year’s department
Agribusiness and Regional Crop Updates. Further information is
also available from the website
www.agric.wa.gov.au
under ‘Wet Harvest’ or by contacting Agline on 1300 725 572. |
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