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Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine

OCC corn hybrid DON/GER evaluations

Principal Investigator: Ontario Corn Committee

Research Institution: Ontario Corn Committee

Timeline: January 2024 to December 2024

Objectives:

  • Identify appropriate reliable field screening methods for determining corn hybrid susceptibility to Gibberella ear rot (GER) and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation and assess DON susceptibility of commercially relevant corn hybrids.

Impacts:

  • Will enable reliable field screening of corn lines for resistance to GER and DON accumulation so that hybrid resistance can be improved and will eventually enable growers to obtain reliable GER/DON resistance ratings for commercial corn hybrids.

Scientific Summary:

Each year, corn seed companies submit commercially relevant corn hybrids to the Ontario Corn Committee (OCC) to be evaluated by expert researcher teams for susceptibility to deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin accumulation. The corn hybrids are assessed for Gibberella ear rot (GER)/DON levels each year across at least two irrigated, inoculated nursery field sites. Appropriate field-based resistance screening methods are in development, and the intent is to then evaluate resistance of all relevant commercial corn hybrids to GER and DON accumulation to assist growers making decisions about which hybrids to plant.

The trials follow the agreed upon OCC protocols developed by the OCC members and researchers each year.

External Funding Partners:

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (through GFO project C2023ID15 and OMAFRA SCAP 2023-017A.)

Various corn seed companies

Various corn end users