What are the latest control measures for wheat head blight (Fusarium head blight)?

Wheat head blight, also known as wheat ear blight, rotten wheat head and red wheat head, can cause seedling blight, ear rot, stem base rot and stalk rot, and can damage plants from seedling to mature stage, with ear rot being the most serious·. So what symptoms appear when head blight strikes? How should it be controlled? Let's find out together.

I. Disease symptoms

1. Seedling blight

It is caused by infection by pathogens in seeds, soil or diseased plant residues. The sprout first turns brown, then the root crown rots, causing seedlings to turn yellow and damp in mild cases and to die in severe cases; dead seedlings also produce pink mold when humidity is high.

2. Ear rot

When wheat is flowering, water-soaked brown spots appear on the ear and gradually spread to the entire ear, causing the spikelets to turn yellow; when humidity is high, pink gelatinous mold layers form on the lesions. Later, small blue-black granules appear over the area, feel raised to the touch, cannot be wiped off, and spread to the rachis, causing the spikelets above the lesion to form white empty ears.

3. Stem base rot

It can occur from seedling emergence to maturity. After the stem base is damaged, it turns brown and rots until the whole plant dies.

4. Stalk rot

It generally occurs at the 1-2 nodes below the ear. Initially, water-soaked chlorotic spots appear on the leaf sheath, or gradually expand into light brown or reddish-brown irregular spots. In severe cases, the parts above the diseased area turn yellow, and sometimes the ear cannot emerge in time or emerges as a withered yellow ear; when moist, a pink mold layer appears on the diseased part.

II. Control measures

1. Choose varieties with strong disease resistance

Although there are currently no immune varieties, there are some disease-tolerant varieties, and growers can choose locally suitable varieties according to local conditions.

2. Agricultural control

Rational irrigation and drainage are needed; wet fields should have ditches opened for drainage; after harvest, the field should be cleaned promptly to reduce sources of inoculum; sow at the proper time to avoid rain during the flowering stage; fertilize rationally; advocate the use of compost fermented with enzyme bacteria; adopt formula fertilization techniques; avoid over-application of nitrogen fertilizer to improve plant disease resistance.

3. Chemical control

Treat seeds with chemicals before sowing, and spray carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl for prevention during the flowering stage, spraying once every 5-7 days. In the later stage, chlorpyrifos, pirimicarb, pirimicarb and potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can also be sprayed, with good control results.

The above is an introduction to control measures for wheat head blight. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.