Abstract

There is high demand in the Northeast for sourcing local foods and beverages. One market that has generated interest from both farmers and end-users is malted barley. Vermont is home to over 74 craft breweries and 22 craft distillers. Until recently, local malt was not readily available to brewers or distillers. The expanding malting industry provides farmers with new markets for grain crops. Regional maltsters continue to find it challenging to source enough local grain to match demand for their product. Local barley does not always meet the strict quality standards for malting. One major obstacle for Northeast growers is that our climate is conducive to the development of Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection of grain. This fungal disease is currently the most significant disease facing organic and conventional grain growers in the Northeast, resulting in loss of yield, shriveled grain, and most importantly, mycotoxin contamination. A vomitoxin called deoxynivalenol (commonly abbreviated as DON) is the primary mycotoxin associated with FHB. The fungus can overwinter in soil or crop debris and spores can be transported by air currents. Fusarium can infect plants at spike emergence through grain fill. Products with DON values greater than 1 ppm pose health risks and are considered unsuitable for human consumption by the FDA.

Fungicide applications have proven to be relatively effective at controlling FHB in other barley growing regions. Limited work has been done in this region on the optimum timing for a fungicide application to barley specifically to minimize DON. There are limited studies evaluating organic approved biofungicides, biochemicals, or biostimulants for management of this disease. In April 2023, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program initiated year eight of a spring barley fungicide trial to determine the efficacy and optimal timing of fungicide application to reduce FHB infection in malting barley.

Publication Date

1-2024

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