By Anne Kirk and Chami Amarasinghe, Manitoba Agriculture
The Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team (MCVET) has been evaluating the effects of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) on spring wheat, winter wheat and barley varieties under conditions of natural infection for a number of years. Varietal resistance ratings for FHB, as presented in Seed Manitoba, are determined through inoculated trials conducted during the period the variety is tested in the variety registration system. While this provides good information on resistance to FHB, the data generated provides limited comparisons with other registered varieties.
Post-registration FHB analysis provides an opportunity to compare fusarium damaged kernels (FDK) and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation among registered varieties over a number of locations in Manitoba. Fungicides are not applied to MCVET trials, and FHB infection is the result of natural infection. Due to variety turnover in MCVET trials, on-going analysis is required to evaluate the response of newly registered varieties.
In 2023, DON accumulation was low at the majority of sites. At the spring wheat sites, mean DON accumulation was below the detection limit of 0.5 ppm at ten of the eleven sites tested; DON ranged from 0.5 to 1.2 ppm at the one site where DON was detected (Table 1). Mean DON accumulation at the barley sites was below detection limit at six of eleven sites, and ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 ppm at the remaining sites (Table 2). Mean DON accumulation in winter wheat was below detection limit at all sites tested (Table 3). Varieties with the highest FDK and DON levels were generally rated as susceptible (S), moderately susceptible (MS), or intermediate (I) for FHB resistance; however, there is variability in FDK and DON within each of the five resistance categories.
FHB infection is highly influenced by environmental conditions; however, there are management options that should be used to mitigate the risk of FHB. The first step is to select varieties with improved resistance to FHB. Resistance ratings published in Seed Manitoba are a good first place to look for disease resistance information. Caution must be used with one year of data, as presented in these tables. Other management strategies include crop rotation and fungicide application.
Thanks to Manitoba Crop Alliance for providing funding to conduct FDK and DON analysis and the Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team and contractors who provided the harvested samples.
There are many considerations when planning spring seeding of wheat and barley. Seeding date and seeding rate are two variables to think about to get your crop off to a good start.
Seeding Date
Seeding date is an important factor to consider, as it can impact overall crop yield. In Manitoba, spring wheat and barley are usually seeded between May 1 and 30. Although, if the conditions are optimal, farmers have been able to seed in April.
If conditions are conducive to seeding, earlier seeded (figure 1) crops tend to have higher yields and improve yield stability (Manitoba Agriculture, n.d.). Earlier seeded crops can utilize early spring moisture more efficiently, assisting in quick and vigorous growth, which helps reduce weed competition.
Additionally, earlier seeded crops, depending on their flowering date, potentially avoid heat damage during flowering. More information about early seeding can be found here and here.
Figure 1: Seeding date vs. relative yield for common Manitoban crop types between 2010-2019 (MASC, 2019)
There are risks associated with early seeding these include:
The risk of frost. Most spring wheat and barley are tolerant to some frost (down to -6 °C) when the growing point is below the soil surface, this is until the 5-leaf – jointing stage. Frost damage symptoms include leaves that are dark green, wilted, and have dead leaf tips (Manitoba Agriculture, n.d.). Risk of frost damage and plant death increases when the growing point gets closer to the soil surface.
Seeding into cold and wet soils will slow crop emergence, therefore consider using a seed treatment. It should be noted that a minimum temperature of 4 °C is required for germination for wheat and barley (Manitoba Agriculture, n.d.).
Farmers know best about the typical weather conditions in their area. In addition to lived knowledge, long-term weather data can help identify the risk of frost in your area. Manitoba Agriculture produces frost maps for the province which can be found here.
Seeding Rate
The seeding rate of spring cereals is an important decision that can affect both yield and grain quality, by impacting all key wheat yield components. Seeding rates differ between crop types. Current Manitoba Agriculture recommendations for wheat and barley are found in table 1, below. Furthermore, when selecting target plant populations overall management practices, such as soil fertility or pest management, and field selection should be considered to handle the selected target plant population.
Table 1. Manitoba target plant populations recommendations for spring wheat and barley.
Crop
Target plant population (plant/ft2)
Spring Wheat
23-28
Barley
22-25
Manitoba Agriculture’s target plant populations were recently reevaluated in 2017 and 2018 and were found to still be adequate (Manitoba Agriculture, 2020). Yield results from the study can be found in figure 2. Plant populations also affect crop uniformity, time to maturity, lodging risk, disease risk, weed competition and overall yield stability (Manitoba Agriculture, n.d.; Collier et al., 2021). Higher seeding rates have been found to improve crop uniformity and decrease days to maturity (O’Donovan et al., 2012). Crop uniformity is also one important component to maximize the efficiency of crop protection agents, such as fungicide application for fusarium head blight. Higher seeding rates have also been found to decrease weed competition.
However, higher seeding rates may lead to thicker crop canopies, thus creating an environment more conducive to disease. As well, increased lodging, and inter-plant competition for resources can be an issue with higher seeding rates, reducing the crop yield potential. If you are planning on targeting higher plant population, it is recommended that varieties with strong straw strength or semi-dwarf varieties are used. Refer to Seed Manitoba for this information. More information about higher seeding rates, its benefits and risks can be found here.
Figure 2. Spring wheat (left) and barley (right) yields at five target plant densities from trials across Manitoba. Different letter represent statistical significant differences in yield (Manitoba Agriculture, n.d.)
Research has found that for malting barley the optimum target plant population which maximizes yield and grain quality to achieve malting grade is at the lower end of Manitoba Agriculture’s recommended target plant population (O’Donovan et al., 2012). For more information on malting barley specific seeding considerations check out this document.
Seeding by target plant population is encouraged, as seeds come in different sizes. This method accounts for differences in thousand kernel weight and per cent expected seed survival. This method allows you to optimize your seeding rate and give you the best chance to hit your target plant population. The formula can be found below. Although, seed calculators from FP Genetics and Alberta Grains can take the manual calculations out of it. More information about seeding by plant population can be found here.
*Per cent expected survival is expressed in decimal form. ex. 85 per cent = 0.85.
Collier, G.R., Spaner, D.M., Graf, R.J., & Beres, B. (2021). Optimal Agronomics Increase Grain Yield and Grain Yield Stability of Ultra-Early Wheat Seeding Systems. Agronomy. 11(2), 240. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020240
O’Donovan, J.T., Turkington, T.K., Edney, M.J., Juskiw, P.E., Harker K.N., Clayton, G.W., Laford, G.P., Brandt, S., Johnson, E.N., May, W.E., & Smith, E. (2012). Effect of seeding date and seeding rate on malting barley production in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 92; 321-330. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjps2011-130
The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) Research on the Farm (ROTF) program conducts scientific research with farmer members, using replicated strip trials on commercial fields. Farmer co-operators use their own equipment and management practices to conduct this research. Research projects are developed to investigate current and pressing agronomic questions and provide site-specific answers. More information about the ROTF program and all trial results can be found here.
As wheat genetics have improved, testing current seeding rate practices for new spring wheat varieties was necessary to understand if targeted plant stands are being optimized for yield and grain quality. The purpose of the spring wheat seeding rate trial was to quantify the agronomic and economic impacts of reducing and increasing farmers’ target plant stands compared to their normal target plant stand. This was done by increasing and decreasing seeding rates. Seeding rates ranged from 20 – 45 lbs/ac higher and lower than the farmers’ normal seeding rate (Table 1). This trial has been conducted for four growing seasons (2020 – 2023) and has 26 site-years of data. Trial sites covered numerous soil types, management practices and climatic conditions, as sites were located across agro-Manitoba.
Figure 1. Summary of spring wheat yield by seeding rate for all trial sites from 2020 – 2023. Note: Letters indicate significant differences between treatments.
Over the past four growing seasons, significant differences in plant-stand density were observed at 50 per cent of trial sites. In all cases, where a significant difference in plant-stand density was observed, the highest seeding rate had the highest plant-stand density. Although significant differences in plant-stand density were observed between treatments at 50 per cent of sites, there were only three sites where significant yield differences were observed. In each instance where a significant yield difference was observed, the low seeding rate treatment always out yielded the high seeding rate treatment (Figure 1).
Results from this trial indicate that producers have a good idea of the optimal seeding rate for their farm. Our results also suggest that during dry conditions, increasing your seeding rate does not necessarily lead to increased yield. Although, it should be noted that this data does not directly measure other variables that are impacted by seeding rates, such as crop uniformity and days to maturity. No statistical analyses were conducted on grain quality parameters.
Table 1. Economic analysis of all trial sites from 2020-2023.
Note: Seed costs are based on Manitoba Agriculture 2023 Cost of Production Guidelines ($34/ac or $17/bu). Wheat prices based on a No. 1 grade, hard red spring wheat price of $9.52/bu. Net profit calculated based on seeding costs only.
In terms of profitability, in this ROTF trial, it typically did not pencil out economically to use the high seeding rate, as there were no significant yield increases when the high seeding rate was used.
Tone Ag Consulting carries out MCA’s ROTF trials in all six of our crop-types. They assist the farmer with plot planting and harvesting, then capture key information throughout the growing season. This includes soil sampling in the spring, followed by growth stage notes and precipitation data during the growing season.
On Dec. 13 and 14, 2023, Manitoba agronomists met to discuss the latest developments in pest, crop and soil management. This year, the conference theme was “Advanced Technologies: tools or replacements for agronomists?” Much of the research shared at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference was funded in part by Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA).
The following is a summary of the posters shared that featured MCA-funded research:
Soil Fertility
Performance of Soybean-based Rotations in Manitoba: Soil P and K Ramona Mohr, Yong Min Kim, Mohammad Khakbazan, Debbie McLaren (ret’d), and Byron Irvine (ret’d), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Leveraging On-Farm Research to Evaluate New Malting Barley Varieties for Production and Malting Selection in Manitoba Li Yueshu, Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, Ashley Ammeter, Morgan Cott, Daryl Rex, Andrew Hector, Manitoba Crop Alliance
Performance of Soybean-based Rotations in Manitoba: Yield and Quality Ramona Mohr, Yong Min Kim, Mohammad Khakbazan, Debbie McLaren (ret’d), Byron Irvine (ret’d), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Performance of Soybean-based Rotations in Manitoba: Root Diseases Yong Min Kim, Debbie McLaren (ret’d), Ramona Mohr, Byron Irvine (ret’d), Mohammad Khakbazan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Are Intercropped Cover Crops Compatible with Canola Weed Management on the Canadian Prairies? Janelle Gawiak, Yvonne Lawley, University of Manitoba, Maryse Bourgault, University of Saskatchewan, Linda Gorim, University of Alberta
Manitoba Survey of Herbicide-resistant Weeds in 2022 Charles Geddes, Mattea Pittman, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kim Brown-Livingston, Manitoba Agriculture, Julie Leeson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
For a full list of poster presentations and speakers from the 2023 conference, as well as a recording of the 2023 presentations (available February 2024), visit the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference website.
Thank you to the conference partners – University of Manitoba, Manitoba Agriculture and the Prairie Certified Crop Advisor Board – for hosting an excellent conference!
Variety selection is an important consideration for farmers, as not all varieties are created equal. Varieties can differ in days to maturity, plant height, lodging risk, disease ratings, pre-harvest sprouting, grain quality factors and yield. Farmers need to evaluate variety characteristics against the risks and needs of their operation.
Taking time for variety selection is generally a simple consideration within the producer’s control that can maximize operational production and profits. However, complicating factors to consider when selecting a cereal variety is your target market, grain buyer and end-user requirements. For some cereal crops, like malting barley, the end user (maltsters and brewers) and grain buyers require barley to satisfy specific criteria.
In Manitoba, total barley acres (feed plus malting barley) have declined over the last 20 years. Due to a combination of disease concerns, market forces and difficulty to meet malting grade, producers have stayed away from barley in their rotations. According to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s annual Seeded Acreage Reports from 2020-2023, total seeded barley acres have steadied, with seeded acres remaining consistent between 365,000 and 400,000 acres. Over the last few years, several new malting barley varieties have been registered for producer use in Canada and there was a need to evaluate the new varieties of malting barley in field scale trials, under Manitoba growing conditions to provide Manitoba farmers with data on how new varieties could fit in their cropping system.
The research project, Assessment of New Malting Barley Varieties for Production and Malting Selection in Manitoba was developed to address this issue. The project was a collaborative effort between the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) and Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), with support from Tone Ag Consulting, Canadian Grain Commission – Grain Research Lab and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It was conducted to evaluate new malting barley varieties for agronomics, malt quality and brewing quality. Specific project goals are listed below:
Examine the performance of new malting varieties at different growing sites in Manitoba with optimized agronomic practices.
Investigate the barley selection rate for malting at harvest and test for barley quality and malting and brewing performance.
Identify the growing locations and best agronomic practices for the new malting varieties.
On-farm research trials, through MCA’s Research on the Farm (ROTF) program, were leveraged to complete this project. Producer co-operators, who are MCA members, were involved in trial establishment, treatment implementation and harvest. This research project wouldn’t have been possible without their involvement and participation.
Materials and Methods
Treatments: Two to five malting barley varieties were grown in randomized strip plots on the same field at each trial site, using crop management practices optimized based on site conditions. AAC Synergy was the check variety and was grown at each trial site. Management practices could differ between sites.
Table 1. Varieties seeded by year and the number of participating farms for each project year. Variety lodging and disease resistance data.
Year
Resistance*
Variety
2020
2021
2022
Lodging
LS
SBS
RR
NNB
SNB
SB
SR
FHB
AAC Synergy*
X
X
X
G
S
I
I
MR
R
R
MR
I
AAC Connect
X
X
X
G
S
R
MS
I
MR
MR
MR
MR
CDC Fraser
X
X
X
G
R
MR
MS
MR
MR
R
MR
I
CDC Copper
X
X
X
G
I
MR
MR
MR
MR
I
I
MS
AAC Goldman
X
F
MS
I
S
I
R
I
I
MR
CDC Bow
X
G
S
I
MS
S
MR
I
MR
I
CDC Churchill
X
X
G
MS
MR
–
MR
MR
I
MR
MS
AAC Prairie
X
X
F
S
MR
–
MR
I
I
MR
I
# of locations
5
5
6
Note: Check variety. LS, loose smut; SB-S, surface-borne smut; RR, root rot; NNB, netted net blotch; SNB, spotted net blotch; SB, spot blotch; SR, stem rust; FHB, Fusarium Head Blight; G, good; F, fair; S, susceptible; MS, moderately susceptible; MR, moderately resistant; R, resistant. *Resistance data were obtained from Seed Manitoba 2023 Variety Selection and Grower Source Guide.
Variables measured: Measurements were taken throughout the entire malting barley value-chain. These included barley quality and yields, malt processing quality, malt quality and brewing quality. Specific tests are listed below:
Barley Quality and Quantity: yield, Deoxynivalenol (DON), protein, germination energy (GE), water sensitivity (WS), thousand kernel weight (TKW), plumpness, stirring number (SN).
Figure 1. Top: Mean malting barley yield (bars) and protein data (line) from the 2020-2022 growing seasons. Bottom: Mean malting barley germination (bars) and plumpness data (line) mean values from the 2020-2022 growing seasons.
Figure 2. Top: Mean β-glucan values averaged from 2020-2022 project years and sites. Bottom: Mean DON levels averaged from 2020-2022 project years and sites.
Key Points
All new malting barley varieties demonstrated the ability to make malting grade under optimum crop management strategies and a variety of weather conditions. All varieties yielded well, with values ranging between 81-104 bu/ac when averaged across all project years and sites.
CDC Copper did not meet GE thresholds of 95 per cent when data was averaged across all sites and project years. CDC Copper did meet GE thresholds at individual site-years.
2021 had the highest malting barley selection rate, with 91 per cent of samples selected. 2022 had the lowest selection rate, with only 62.5 per cent of samples selected.
No significant differences in DON levels were found between varieties when averaged across all project years and sites (Figure 2).
No significant differences in yield were found between varieties when data was averaged across all project years and sites. Although, yield differences were found at individual trial sites.
CDC Copper and AAC Goldman were both found to have water sensitivity values above desirable levels (data not shown). Water sensitivity indicates the percentage of kernels that will “drown” if over-steeped in the malting process.
No significant differences were found between varieties for malt processing and quality parameters, such β-glucan (Figure 2.)
Variety did not impact the brewing process or beer quality, with no significant differences found in beer quality indicators when data was averaged across sites and project year (data not shown).
More detailed data on sites and growing seasons can be found in the full project report. More information on individual sites and the MCA’s ROTF program can be found here. Use the annual Seed Manitoba Variety Selection and Grower Source Guide when selecting varieties. Finally, consult grain buyers to determine if there are opportunities to market malting varieties.
Funding for this project was from CAP Ag action Manitoba and MCA. This document is a synopsis of the key results and findings from the Assessment of New Malting Barley Varieties for Production and Malting Selection in Manitoba full project report, assembled by the CMBTC.
If you are planning on saving seed for next year’s crop, seed testing should be considered, as weather conditions from the year the seed was grown, such as precipitation and heat, affect seed quality. Seed testing in the fall can provide growers with useful information that can save them both time and money – allowing them to plan for next year’s growing season with greater certainty.
Typically, seed tests evaluate variables such as germination, thousand kernel weight, vigour and seed-borne diseases. Understanding these variables is important when making seeding management decisions, as seeds with poor germination and vigour or those that contain seed diseases can negatively impact crop establishment, uniformity and health. This will ultimately affect yield.
Information collected from seed tests is also integral to achieving your desired plant population, as thousand kernel weight should be used to determine optimal seeding rates. Additionally, understanding seed germination and vigour can give you a better gauge of expected seed survival and how the seed will perform in the spring.
Germination tests evaluate the percentage of seeds likely to develop or germinate under optimal moisture, light and temperature conditions. Vigour tests are similar but provide information regarding the ability for seeds to produce normal seedings in suboptimal conditions. Cold stress tests are often used to determine this, although there are multiple vigour testing protocols used by labs. Vigour testing is important, as seed vigour usually drops before the seeds ability to germinate does. More information about calculating seeding rates can be found here.
It’s important to note that long periods of storage can affect seed quality. For example, both germination and vigour levels can decrease during winter storage. Therefore, secondary seed testing in early spring may also be necessary. More information about seed testing and seed test interpretation can be found here.
The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) has released its 2023 Variety Market Share Report. This report breaks down the number of acres seeded to each crop type in Manitoba. As well, the relative percentage of acres each variety was seeded on within each crop type is reported. This information is useful to understand overall production patterns in Manitoba. A link to the 2023 report can be found here. Furthermore, 2023 results from the winter wheat sites of the Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Trials (MCVET) have been published. Results can be found here.
It is important to note that farmer members’ dollars directly contributed to the plant breeding research activities which were instrumental in the development of the top winter wheat varieties.
Select Take Aways
A small number of Winter Wheat acres were seeded again in 2023, with approximately 59 thousand acres seeded. This is up slightly from 2022 and up over 20 thousand acres from 2021. The top six varieties by percentage acres seeded are listed in Table 1, but 12 varieties were listed in this year’s MASC Variety Market Share Report. All top six seeded varieties are Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat.
Table 1. 2023 top six winter wheat varieties by percent seeded acres in Manitoba.
Variety
Wheat Class
Yield (bu/ac)**
Relative Maturity**
Lodging**
Relative Winter Hardiness**
FHB Resistance**
Relative Acreage (%)*
AAC Wildfire
CWRW
89
Late
Good
Very Good
Moderately Resistant
43.2
Emerson
CWRW
83
Medium
Very Good
Good
Resistant
22.2
AAC Goldrush
CWRW
82
Medium
Good
Very Good
Intermediate
12.5
AAC Gateway
CWRW
82
Medium
Very Good
Fair
Intermediate
5.8
AAC Elevate
CWRW
81
Medium
Very Good
Good
Intermediate
5.2
AAC Vortex
CWRW
87
Medium
Very Good
Very Good
Moderately Resistant
4.4
Note: * Data obtained from MASC 2023 Variety Market Share Report. ** Data obtained from the 2023 MCVET Winter Wheat and Fall Rye report. Fusarium Head Blight; FHB.
AAC Wildfire was the top seeded winter wheat variety, occupying 43.2 per cent of seeded winter wheat acres. This is an increase of just over 14 per cent from 2022. AAC Wildfire was registered in 2015 and is a late maturing CWRW variety. AAC Goldrush, which was registered in 2016, also increased in percentage of acres seeded, increasing by three per cent from 2022. AAC Vortex, which was registered in 2021, was seeded on over four per cent of acres in 2023. There were no reported acres of AAC Vortex in the 2022 MASC Variety Market Share Report.
Emerson, which has a fusarium head blight rating of ‘resistant’, has been the most seeded variety in Manitoba for several years. However, its acreage has dropped just over 14 per cent from 2022. A similar trend was seen in AAC Gateway, which dropped from 16.1 per cent in 2022, to just over five per cent in 2023. AAC Elevate remained steady from 2022 to 2023, at just over five per cent of seeded acres.
The Seed Manitoba Variety Selection and Growers Source Guide should be consulted when making variety selections.
As we head into spring, now is the perfect time to brush up on some important agronomy topics.
Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) has several articles and resources to help farmers implement best management practices (BMPs) on their operations. This resource roundup highlights information for targeting the correct seeding date, conditions and fertility, as well as management options if seeding gets delayed.
Spring cereals
1. Seeding date
We know that weather on the Prairies is unpredictable, and while we hope to get the crop in early, sometimes Mother Nature has other plans. More information on the ideal time to plant spring cereals, the impact of delayed seeding and agronomic management strategies is available in the following articles:
Across the Prairies, seeding into dry soils is inevitable in some years. These dry conditions require careful seeding BMPs to help reduce risk. Learn more from resources listed below, including a special collaboration article between the Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Barley, Sask Wheat, SaskBarley and MCA:
Plant population influences all three of the primary determinants of yield: (1) number of heads per acre, (2) number of kernels per head and (3) weight per kernel. Do you know how your selected variety will perform under varying target plant populations? Learn more:
Another important aspect of seeding is making sure your crop has the proper fertility package. The following are important resources for making nitrogen fertilizer management decisions:
While many winter wheat farmers choose to apply most of their nitrogen in the fall, early spring is a good opportunity to evaluate your fertilizer strategy. In the article below, Manitoba Agriculture’s John Heard goes through his checklist of spring fertility considerations:
The winter annual growth habit of winter wheat makes it an effective competitor against many weed species. However, some weed control considerations should still be made. The following article outlines integrated weed management strategies and herbicide options for winter wheat:
Significant snow accumulation throughout winter helps to keep the soil warm enough for winter wheat to overwinter. The following resources cover other factors that impact winter wheat survival, plus ways to assess the survival in your fields:
By Anne Kirk and Chami Amarasinghe, Manitoba Agriculture
The Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team (MCVET) has been evaluating the effects of fusarium head blight (FHB) on spring wheat, winter wheat and barley varieties under conditions of natural infection for a number of years. Varietal resistance ratings for FHB, as presented in Seed Manitoba, are determined through inoculated trials conducted during the period the variety is tested in the variety registration system. While this provides good information on resistance to FHB, the data generated provides limited comparisons with other registered varieties. Post-registration FHB analysis provides an opportunity to compare fusarium damaged kernels (FDK) and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation among registered varieties over a number of locations in Manitoba. Fungicides are not applied to MCVET trials, and FHB infection is the result of natural infection. Due to variety turnover in MCVET trials, ongoing analysis is required to evaluate the response of newly registered varieties.
In 2022, DON accumulation was low at the majority of sites. At the spring wheat sites, mean DON accumulation was below the detection limit of 0.5 ppm at seven of nine sites tested; DON ranged from 0.5 to 4.2 ppm at the two sites where DON was detected (Table 1). Mean DON accumulation at the barley sites was below detection limit at eight of 10 sites and ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 ppm at the remaining sites (Table 2). Mean DON accumulation in winter wheat was below detection limit at six of eight sites and ranged from 0.6 ppm to above the detection limit of 5 ppm at two sites (Table 3). Varieties with the highest FDK and DON levels were generally rated as susceptible (S), moderately susceptible (MS) or intermediate (I) for FHB resistance. However, there is variability in FDK and DON within each of the five resistance categories.
FHB infection is highly influenced by environmental conditions, but there are management options that should be used to mitigate the risk of FHB. The first step is to select varieties with improved resistance to FHB. Resistance ratings published in Seed Manitoba are a good first place to look for disease resistance information. Caution must be used with one year of data, as presented in these tables. Other management strategies include crop rotation and fungicide application.
Thanks to Manitoba Crop Alliance for providing funding to conduct FDK and DON analysis and the Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team and contractors who provided the harvested samples.
On Dec. 14 and 15, 2022, Manitoba agronomists met to discuss the latest developments in crop production, crop protection and soil management at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference.
The conference theme for 2022 was “Dialing Down the Heat: Agronomic Solutions to Climate Change” and much of the research shared was funded in part by Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA).
Here is a summary of the posters shared at the conference that feature MCA-funded research:
Nutrient management
Improving In-Season Corn Nitrogen Dressing Using Canopy Sensing in Manitoba Claudia Quilesfogel-Esparza, Mario Tenuta, Paul Bullock, University of Manitoba
Optimizing Nitrogen Management Under Conditions of Extreme Moisture Timi Ojo, John Heard, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development; Ramona Mohr, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Trevor Fraser, Paul Bullock, University of Manitoba
Economic and Agronomic Performance of Emerging Cropping Systems for Western Canada Ramona Mohr, Mohammad Khakbazan, Debbie McLaren, Yong Min Kim, Aaron Glenn, Maria Antonia Henriquez, Bill May, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Brian Beres, Francis Larney, Newton Lupwayi, Henry Chau, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre; Rob Gulden, University of Manitoba; Chris Willenborg, University of Saskatchewan; Terry McGonigle, Brandon University
New Fusarium Head Blight Disease Risk Maps for the Canadian Prairies T. Matengu, P. Bullock, M. Mkhabela, F. Zvomuya, D. Fernando, University of Manitoba; T. Ojo, R. Picard, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development; M. Henriquez, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; R. Avila, A. Akhavan, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan; M. Harding, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
Residual Weed Population Shifts in Manitoba – 1978 to 2022 K. Brown-Livingston, S. Hladun, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development; J.Y. Leeson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Thank you to the conference partners – University of Manitoba, Manitoba Agriculture and the Prairie Certified Crop Advisor Board – for hosting an excellent conference!
