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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #108056
Title: USDA-ARS, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE RESEARCH ON BIOLOGICALLY CONTROLLING FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT: 3. FIELD TESTING OF ANTAGONISTS

Author
item BOEHM, MICHAEL - OHIO STATE UNIV
item KHAN, NASEEM - OHIO STATE UNIV
item Schisler, David

Submitted to: National Fusarium Head Blight Forum
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/5/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as scab of wheat, is primarily caused by Gibberella zeae. FHB has incited losses of over 2.6 billion dollars in the United States in the first 8 years of this decade alone. Control measures for this disease are few as highly resistant varieties are not yet available, and fungicides can have residue and cost concerns. In these studies, we determined if microbial strains effective in reducing Fusarium head blight severity in greenhouse bioassays were effective in reducing FHB in field trials on soft red winter wheat cultivars which vary in susceptibility to FHB. In a field trial conducted at Peoria, IL, five of the six antagonists tested reduced FHB disease on wheat cultivar "Pioneer 2545" at one or both of the concentrations assayed despite poor environmental conditions for disease development across the Midwest. On cultivar "Freedom," all six antagonists reduced FHB disease at one or both of the concentrations tested. At the Wooster, OH, field site, five of the six antagonists reduced FHB disease at one or both of the concentrations assayed on cultivar "Pioneer 2545." Yeast antagonist OH 71.4 reduced disease severity by nearly 56%. Antagonists OH 131.1, OH 181.1, and OH 182.9 reduced disease severity and disease incidence at both of the antagonist cell concentrations tested. No appreciable amount of disease was observed on the "Freedom" plots in Wooster. These results, combined with those obtained in other field trials on biologically controlling FHB on durum wheat, support the premise that biological control of FHB has great potential to play a vital role in the integrated management of this disease.