Fusarium Seed Infection Surveillance Project 2022 Interim Report released

Alberta Seed Processors (ASP) is releasing the second interim report on Fusarium graminearum seed infection part of Alberta’s fusarium head blight management.

As part of the federal government’s Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), ASP launched a 3-year project in the fall of 2020 to study fusarium seed infection in Alberta to better understand how farmers can manage, control and prevent the devastating disease.

The success of the project is a result of collaboration with value chain partners. ASP is collaborating with three Alberta seed labs, including SGS Canada, Seed Check Technologies and 20/20 Seed Labs, to gather data. Dr. Michael Harding, Research Scientist – Plant and Bee Health Surveillance Section of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry reviewed the data and created maps. Alberta Wheat & Barley Commissions supplied further agronomic and management input to the project.

“This project directly aligns with ASP’s goals of supporting agriculture in Alberta by constantly improving the services and capacity of our seed and grain processors so we can ensure the agricultural value chain has an opportunity for the best outcomes possible through identifying possible limiting factors,” says Monica Klaas, ASP’s General Manager.

The project is made possible with funding from the CAP program, which is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector and ensure its continued innovation, growth, and prosperity.

This report covers seed tested between September 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, assumes the seed is from production in the 2021 crop year and is destined for seed purposes in 2022.

METHODOLOGY:

Data was collected from three Alberta-based seed testing labs and was amalgamated into one database. The data includes seed testing results for both farm-saved seed as well as pedigreed seed. The data is catalogued as per postal code, grouped according to the municipality.

HOW TO UTILIZE THE DATA:

Understanding pathogen sources is foundational in integrated pest management (IPM) plan. Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection, caused by Fusarium graminearum (Fg), comes from two basic sources: wind-blown spores from crop residues such as stubble and stover/stalks, and infected seed. This project documents detections of Fg seed infection and does not attempt to measure or quantify the risk of FHB from crop residues. It can be assumed that where there was seed infection, there was field infection. Therefore, we assume areas with elevated incidence of Fg, the pathogen is established in the crop residues in that local area or field, and have elevated recommendations for FHB management.

Sample location is reported based on the postal code to which the sample results were sent.

As a result, the second assumption is that the samples tested were produced in the municipalities that the corresponding results were sent to. However, this may not be the case and therefore some sample results may be sourced from a different municipality depending on field location. For example, the map shows samples within urban municipalities- i.e.: samples tagged to Calgary or

Edmonton. This means the seed sample results were sent to a postal code within those city limits but does not necessarily mean the seed was produced within city limits. Additionally, it is unknown if the grain tested will be used for seed in the future.

Despite these assumptions and limitations, the map can be used as a general guide, in conjunction with other FHB management tools such as the Fusarium Head Blight Environmental Risk Map https://agriculture.alberta.ca/acis/m#!fusarium, to help producers evaluate risk and plan for appropriate management responses. For example, in or near areas of higher disease incidence, growers are advised to participate in as many preventative FHB management activities as possible or warranted based on the risk of infection. Management activities could include using long, diverse crop rotations (2–3-year break from host crops such as wheat and corn), planting seed with the best varietal resistance to FHB, using seed with low or no Fg infection, considering using a seed treatment with ‘Fusarium’ on the label, regular field scouting, and foliar spray protection when warranted, and within IPM guidelines. Further recommendations for FHB management can be found at: https://managefhb.ca/.