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Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine

OCCC Performance Trials – Fungicide vs No Fungicide Comparisons

Principal Investigator: Ontario Cereal Crops Committee (OCCC)

Research Institution: Ontario Cereal Crops Committee

Timeline: January 2021 – December 2021

Objectives:

  • Determine the influence of fungicides on rankings and performance of varieties in the winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, and oat Ontario Performance Trials.

Impacts:

  • The provision of independent data regarding the relative tolerance of cereal varieties to a range of fungal leaf and head diseases, with and without the use of foliar fungicide, will assist all growers in selecting varieties best suited to their growing conditions and management practices.

Scientific Summary:

The Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC) conducts variety performance trails to determine the genetic potential and adaptation of cereal varieties in the Province of Ontario. Historically, the foundation of the OCCC Variety Performance Trials had been conducted in the absence of fungicides. As growers moved to increasing fungicides as a part of their normal management practices, the committee decided in 2010 to began comparing varieties without and with fungicide application. The main objective was to determine the influence of fungicides on provincial variety rankings and performance of the winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, and oat.

Trial results confirmed that there is a varietal response to fungicide applications in winter and spring wheat and oats, but to a lesser extent with barley. The committee decided to make it standard protocol to run intensive trials at select locations for all crops.

Winter wheat, spring wheat and oat all remain ‘mandated’ for intensive management (e.g., fungicide use) at certain locations. Due to the inconclusive results on barley over the years, the committee leaves it to the discretion of the trial operator if they wish to spray. Not all locations are run as intensive sites – participation of each location is on a voluntary basis and some locations opt not to spray fungicide, for various reasons.

OCCC coordinates collection and analysis of the fungicide vs. no fungicide trial data and releases the results through the OCCC performance trial reports. Results are communicated by the OCCC to Ontario cereal producers and the farming community through the OCCC www.gocereals.ca website.

External Funding Partners:

Fungicide companies

Project Related Publications:

www.gocereals.ca