Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

C&M Seeds Wheat School: Trying to Understand Fusarium.

Fusarium is an ugly monster that continues to rear its ugly head across North America. Some areas are definitely worse than other but the impact is real. With more tolerant wheat genetics coming every year, farmers are desperate to try and manage this disease in the most proactive ways that they can. Some of the management strategies include; timing of irrigation application, crop rotation, fungicide application and variety selection. This is a disease that many areas of the world live with and are forced to manage instead of trying to eradicate. Due to the disease’s reliance on the right environmental conditions, farmers are faced with trying to minimize the impacts.

See the definition of Fusarium on wikipedia

Fusarium not only affects the farmers bottom line but also the millers and bakers. Fusarium has even been used as a form of biological warfare in the 30’s and 40’s in Russia.

With all the talk about fusarium I thought it would be pertinent to talk to Peter Johnson from OMAFRA about fusarium and the impact that it is having in Ontario. I encourage you to watch this video even if you are not in Ontario because the same message applies whether you live in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta or Montana. Peter provides his discussion around how Ontario farmers try and live side by side with this disease. I hope that this helps you to better understand the possible ways to live side by side with fusarium.

See other episodes of the WheatSchool

Find out more about wheat genetics at C&M Seeds

Views: 126

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Avia Eek on April 14, 2010 at 1:14am
Wheat and other such crops aren't the only ones affected by Fusarium. It occurs in carrots as well, Fusarium Dry Rot. Currently, there seems to be no way to combat it in our organic based soil except through crop rotation, and fumigation. We also have a problem with sclerotia, however, we're testing a small area in one of our fields with a new biological fungus which will attack the sclerotia before it attacks the carrot root! Having said this though, as will all tools we use, timing is everything and temperature plays a big role in the success of this new product.

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Crop research a better long-term solution than BRM programs: USask Professor

Agricultural research requires investment, but it takes many years to develop a higher yielding crop variety or one with improved disease resistance. Recently announced funding and job cuts by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are expected to impact the quantity and possibly the quality of new research in both the crop and livestock sectors. Richard Gray is a professor and grains policy chair at the University of Saskatchewan and was a key note speaker Thursday at the Top Crop Summit in Saskatoon. "I think the lack of a plan to how they were actually going to do some of the activities that were happening on those farms, that's a problem, and second, I don't think there was enough thought given to whether the sites that they were closing down were important for overall productivity of the researchers that remain." Gray said of the pending closures of research sites across Canada. The Indian Head research site represented about 35 per cent of the crop area in the province and was loca

Malta bee exporter blasts criticism from Canadian beekeepers

A European honeybee provider said they’re collateral damage to a dust-up in the Canadian honey sector over replacement bees. Ermanno De Chino, CEO of Melita Bees, a firm based on the Mediterranean island of Malta, said Italian and Maltese bee biosecurity and quality are the subject of unwarranted “smears” coming from a Canadian beekeeping contingent. He said they’re “pushing for the opening of the border with the United States,” a country he said is extremely vulnerable to the tropilaelaps (tropi) mite threat. “There’s little science and a lot of politics in all of this,” he wrote in a Feb. 10 email. In a separate email, De Chino described the risk of tropilaelaps entering the U.S. as “very high” due to the “enormous” number of cargo ships from Asia arriving at the ports of California, Texas, and Florida: three states with tropi mite-friendly weather conditions. “Swarms of Asian bees arriving in containers would have an easy time establishing themselves in these areas. The enormous

LDC commissions pea protein isolate production facility in Yorkton

Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has announced the start of commissioning for its new pea protein isolate (PPI) production facility in Yorkton. Alongside pea protein, LDC will also commercialize pea fiber and a proprietary pea starch produced at the new Yorkton facility, for the pet food, building materials and paper industries. Strategically located in one of the world’s largest pea-producing regions, at the site of LDC’s existing oilseeds processing complex, the new pea protein isolate plant is expected to employ some 60 people by the end of 2026, states a news release issued by LDC. The facility is currently in its commissioning phase, covering both wet and dry processing, which will be completed over the next couple of months, with commercial volumes expected to be available by mid-June, says LDC. The site will be among the largest pea processing facilities in North America, serving key segments of the plant-based market, including high-protein beverages and powder mixes, dairy alter

Groups call for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered pork products

No laws in Canada mandate specific labels for genetically engineered foods

Reinforcing Market Support at IAOM Latin America Conference

Engaging, learning, and networking were top of mind for attendees at the International Association of Operative Millers’ (IAOM) 49th Latin American Region Annual Conference and Expo, held in February in Guadalajara, Mexico. Lisa Nemeth, Cereals Canada director of market support and training, was among the presenters at the event, which attracted over 280 milling professionals from twenty-five countries. Nemeth presented on the quality of Canadian cereals, the Canadian quality assurance system, and the market support that Cereals Canada delivers to its customers. Nemeth shared that customers were happy to see Canadian cereals represented at the conference. On average, Canada exports 5.9 million tonnes of non-durum wheat to Latin America per year. Over the last five years, the largest markets in the region for Canadian cereals were Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. “Latin America loves Canadian cereals,” said Nemeth. “Mexico is an important market for Canada Western Red Spring (CWR

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service