Efficacy of Genetic Resistance and Fungicide Application Against Fusarium Head Blight and Mycotoxins in Wheat Under Persistent Pre- and Postanthesis Moisture

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the efficacy of fungicide treatments in combination with genetic resistance against Fusarium head blight (FHB) and its associated mycotoxins under persistently wet pre- and postanthesis conditions in plots inoculated with Fusarium graminearum-colonized corn spawn. Treatments consisted of a single application of prothioconazole + tebuconazole at early anthesis (PA), or at 3 (P3), 6 (P6), or 9 (P9) days after early anthesis, or PA followed by a single application of metconazole at 3 (PA+C3), 6 (PA+C6), or 9 (PA+C9) days after early anthesis. PA and P3 were the most efficacious of the single-application treatments in terms of mean percentage control of FHB index (IND), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), and mean increase in grain yield and test weight (TW) relative to the nontreated susceptible check (S_CK). The double-application treatments (PA+C3, PA+C6, and PA+C9) were the most effective of all tested fungicide programs. However, relative to S_CK, the highest overall mean percentage reduction in IND, DON, and ZEA and increase in grain yield and TW were observed when the double-application fungicide programs were integrated with genetic resistance. The estimated net cash income (NCI) of the integrated management (IM) programs was consistently higher than the NCI of other tested programs across different grain prices and fungicide application costs. Thus, the benefits of the two-treatment IM programs under highly favorable conditions for FHB development were enough to offset the cost of two applications, making these programs profitable.