OCC corn hybrid DON/GER evaluations

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.
• Provide assessments of the susceptibility of commercial corn hybrids to GER and DON for farmers.

Impacts:

• Will enable reliable field screening of corn lines for resistance to GER and DON accumulation so that hybrid resistance can be improved.
• Will provide growers with 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 (Ridgetown and Huron Research Stations). The trials follow the agreed upon OCC protocols developed by the OCC members and researchers each year.

Hybrid rankings of susceptibility to DON will be released on www.gocrops.ca at the end of the year.

External Funding Partners:

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (through Grassroots Growth Initiative – GGI-2024-39).

Various corn seed companies

Various corn end users