Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations
Among the fungal diseases that affect wheat in temperate growing areas, <i>Septoria</i> Leaf Blotch (SLB) and <i>Fusarium</i> head blight (FHB) result in yield and sanitary risk losses that could be minimized through appropriate fungicide applications. Furthermore, the reques...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/4/725 |
| _version_ | 1827695489714225152 |
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| author | Luca Capo Massimo Blandino |
| author_facet | Luca Capo Massimo Blandino |
| author_sort | Luca Capo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Among the fungal diseases that affect wheat in temperate growing areas, <i>Septoria</i> Leaf Blotch (SLB) and <i>Fusarium</i> head blight (FHB) result in yield and sanitary risk losses that could be minimized through appropriate fungicide applications. Furthermore, the request from policy makers and the food market to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture has driven research in the direction of performant defense strategies with a reduced spraying of pesticides. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different fungicide programs on the control of SLB and FHB, as well as on the grain yield and deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of common wheat. Field experiments were carried out in 2016 and 2017 in North Italy. Two seed treatments (conventional vs. systemic) and four combinations of foliar fungicide applications (untreated control, application at the end of stem elongation, at flowering, and a double treatment at stem elongation and flowering) have been compared, according to a full factorial design, under two agronomic conditions: plowing vs. minimum tillage. Foliar sprayings at the end of stem elongation were found to be more effective in controlling SLB, while a triazole application at flowering was found to be an essential practice to reduce the FHB and DON contents. The double foliar treatment led to significant benefits, albeit only in the production situations with the highest SLB severity (e.g., in the 2017 experiment, after ploughing and the use of a conventional seed treatment). The systemic seed dressing led to a higher and prolonged STB protection, with significant canopy greenness during ripening in all the production situations. In 2017, which suffered from high disease pressure, the seed treatment with systemic fungicide led to a significant increase in grain yield (+5%), compared to the conventional one. The combination of the systemic seed treatment and the triazole application at flowering guaranteed the highest control of both SLB and FHB, maximized grain yield, and minimized DON contamination. This study provides useful information that could be used to evaluate appropriate fungicide programs, based on a combination of seed and foliar treatments, for wheat yield and sanity in distinct SLB and FHB diseases pressure scenarios. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:28:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-70b66f22c5a9412dace8b241e4881dca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:28:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-70b66f22c5a9412dace8b241e4881dca2023-11-21T14:52:00ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952021-04-0111472510.3390/agronomy11040725Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production SituationsLuca Capo0Massimo Blandino1Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università di Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università di Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, ItalyAmong the fungal diseases that affect wheat in temperate growing areas, <i>Septoria</i> Leaf Blotch (SLB) and <i>Fusarium</i> head blight (FHB) result in yield and sanitary risk losses that could be minimized through appropriate fungicide applications. Furthermore, the request from policy makers and the food market to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture has driven research in the direction of performant defense strategies with a reduced spraying of pesticides. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different fungicide programs on the control of SLB and FHB, as well as on the grain yield and deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of common wheat. Field experiments were carried out in 2016 and 2017 in North Italy. Two seed treatments (conventional vs. systemic) and four combinations of foliar fungicide applications (untreated control, application at the end of stem elongation, at flowering, and a double treatment at stem elongation and flowering) have been compared, according to a full factorial design, under two agronomic conditions: plowing vs. minimum tillage. Foliar sprayings at the end of stem elongation were found to be more effective in controlling SLB, while a triazole application at flowering was found to be an essential practice to reduce the FHB and DON contents. The double foliar treatment led to significant benefits, albeit only in the production situations with the highest SLB severity (e.g., in the 2017 experiment, after ploughing and the use of a conventional seed treatment). The systemic seed dressing led to a higher and prolonged STB protection, with significant canopy greenness during ripening in all the production situations. In 2017, which suffered from high disease pressure, the seed treatment with systemic fungicide led to a significant increase in grain yield (+5%), compared to the conventional one. The combination of the systemic seed treatment and the triazole application at flowering guaranteed the highest control of both SLB and FHB, maximized grain yield, and minimized DON contamination. This study provides useful information that could be used to evaluate appropriate fungicide programs, based on a combination of seed and foliar treatments, for wheat yield and sanity in distinct SLB and FHB diseases pressure scenarios.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/4/725<i>Triticum aestivum</i><i>Septoria</i> leaf blotch<i>Fusarium</i> head blightdeoxynivalenolseed treatment |
| spellingShingle | Luca Capo Massimo Blandino Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations Agronomy <i>Triticum aestivum</i> <i>Septoria</i> leaf blotch <i>Fusarium</i> head blight deoxynivalenol seed treatment |
| title | Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations |
| title_full | Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations |
| title_fullStr | Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations |
| title_short | Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations |
| title_sort | minimizing yield losses and sanitary risks through an appropriate combination of fungicide seed and foliar treatments on wheat in different production situations |
| topic | <i>Triticum aestivum</i> <i>Septoria</i> leaf blotch <i>Fusarium</i> head blight deoxynivalenol seed treatment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/4/725 |
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