Fusarium Wheat is a disease caused by Fusarium fungi. In winter wheat, barley and other cereals, the infection provokes a significant loss of yield and its quality. Infection leads to slow growth and deterioration of germination. Some types of mushrooms produce toxic substances, because of this, the grain becomes unsuitable for human and animal consumption.
Symptoms of Fusarium Cereals
The symptomatology of a fusarium affection of the ear differs depending on the type of fungi that the disease provoked:
| View | Description |
| Cereal, Straw, Oat | A pinkish-red mycelium and spores. |
| Sporotrichovy, Bluegrass | Light pink sporulation on ears of corn. |
| Tricintum, Sporotrich | Ocular spotting on an ear. |
You can understand that the grain is infected by the following signs:
- seeds are frail, wrinkled, with a deep groove, pointed sides;
- the surface is colorless or slightly pinkish, does not shine;
- endosperm friable, crumbling;
- poor glassiness or its loss;
- in the groove of the mushroom mycelium in the form of a spider web of a whitish or pinkish hue and conidia;
- cereal germ incapacitated, dark on the cut.
Even with a visually healthy grain, if the culture is affected by Fusarium, it is impossible to eat it for food or for feed purposes. It may contain mycotoxins. Therefore, storage of the crop is meaningless, it must be destroyed.
Spread of infection
Infection with ascospores and conidia occurs during the growing season. Mushroom mycelium winter in the soil, on the remaining parts of plants. On crop residues, fruiting bodies containing ascospores are formed. They affect the roots (Fusarium root rot) and stems during seed germination. Conidia form on infected foliage of the lower tier and on straw. With the wind and during heavy rains, they are carried on flowering ears (fusarium spike).
Plants are more susceptible to Fusarium infection at high air humidity and a temperature of + 20 ... +25 ° C.
Spores fall on the anthers, through which they penetrate inward with pollen. It created a comfortable environment rich in nutrients for the germination and development of mushrooms.
As a result, the caryopsis, which has just begun its formation, is infected, fusarium rot or wilt develop.
The danger of fusarium cereal
Infected grain changes its chemical composition. Protein compounds decompose, fiber and starch are destroyed. Gluten does not provide the necessary elasticity for the production of bakery products. Because of this, flour products have a coarse, dark, large-pore crumb.
Poisoning with grain containing mycotoxins causes vomiting, convulsions, and disorders of the visual apparatus. These symptoms are characteristic of alcohol intoxication, which is why people call infected bakery products “drunk bread”.
If you eat infected grain in food, it can provoke anemia, septic tonsillitis, skin diseases. For feed purposes, it is also unsuitable, causes severe pathologies of the liver and kidneys, impairs reproduction and leads to skin necrosis.
Control measures for cereal fusarium
Protective treatment with chemical fungicides is recommended before sowing.
There are several ways to do this:
| Methodology | Description |
| Dry | Powder poisoning. The disadvantage is uneven distribution. |
| Semi dry | Processing with a small amount of liquid preparations (5-10 l per 1 ton of seed). Thus, the grain is not moistened strongly, there is no need for drying. Minus: the use of specialized equipment. |
| Wet | Humidification of the soil or spraying with fungicide with further drying, so that root (fusarium) rot does not start. |
It is also necessary to spray cereals in the vegetative period. The most effective drugs are triazoles and benzimidazoles:
| Drug name | How to use | Consumption (l / ha) | Number of treatmentsOK |
| Avial | Irrigation in the phase of the last leaf, spike exit or the beginning of heading. | 300 | 1 |
| Amistar Extra | Spraying in the stage of growth of ears and before flowering. | 300 | 2 |
| Colfugo Super | It is applied before sowing (10 l / t). Spraying is carried out at the heading stage and before flowering. | 300 | 2 |
Prozaro | Used at the stage of the last leaf, spike exit and before flowering. | 200-300 | 1-2 |
To combat Fusarium lesion, the most important thing is not to lose time.
A two-three-day delay worsens the performance by 2 times.
The use of only biological products with a running fungus will not help, but they can be used in addition to fungicides. This will increase the effectiveness of the latter.
Biological preparations include strains of microorganisms that exhibit antagonistic activity against a specific pathogen. For the causative agent of fusarium, these are the Trichoderma lignorum fungi and the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens.
However, they cannot be used simultaneously with fungicides, so only pseudomonads belonging to the group remain from biological products:
- Planriz. Used at the exit to the tube and at the beginning of flowering.
- Pseudobacterin-2. Irrigation in the phase of the last leaf and spike growth.
There are eco-technologies that make it possible to grow crops without pathologies only on biological preparations, without the use of chemicals:
- Perform pre-sowing treatment with a mixture of Trichodermin and Planriz.
- Repeat at the stage of germination and tillering.
- At the exit stage, spray the tube again by adding Betzimide.
To prevent the appearance of fusarium on wheat will help:
- deep autumn plowing;
- timely cleaning of plant remains (this will prevent development
- most fungal diseases, including and ophiobolezny root rot);
- compliance with the sowing distance between the ears;
- destruction of weed grass.
Fusarium cereal, including winter wheat and oats is a serious problem for the agricultural industry. However, compliance with certain rules for sowing and growing, prophylactic treatment with special preparations will significantly reduce the likelihood of its occurrence. Any disease is easier to prevent than to lose crops and treat crops for a long time.
