Many wheat producers in the state have already sprayed a fungicide to help protect against Fusarium head blight (scab). However, some fields in the state were just nearing the beginning flowering stage (Feekes growth stage 10.51) when the May 9 freeze hit.
Producers with these fields may have held off on spraying a fungicide to determine how much freeze damage had occurred in their wheat fields. Now that freeze damage may be apparent in these fields, producers must now make a fungicide application decision.
Since freeze damage can vary from field to field, these decisions must be made on a field-by-field decision. If freeze damage is severe, then applying a fungicide at this point, may not be worth the cost.
Below are some considerations from a disease control perspective:
- Many parts of Kentucky have had a medium to high risk of Fusarium head blight (scab) up through the last few weeks (see the risk map here) for susceptible varieties. However, risk on moderately-susceptible and moderately-resistant varieties have been low to medium.
- Wheat heads are susceptible to infection by the Fusarium head blight fungus from beginning flowering through soft dough
- In multi-state research studies funded by the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, effective fungicides tested have shown efficacy against Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol (DON; vomitoxin) contamination when applied up to around 7 days after the Feekes 10.51 growth stage
- When making a fungicide application after the Feekes 10.51 growth stage, be sure to check the label for the pre-harvest interval (PHI). The PHI for different fungicides that have efficacy against Fusarium head blight are listed below:
- Caramba = do not apply within 30 days of harvest
- Miravis Ace = do not apply after full head emergence (Feekes 10.54)
- Prosaro = do not apply within 30 days of harvest
- Proline = do not apply within 30 days of harvest
- Tebuconazole products = do not apply within 30 days of harvest
