The U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (UWBSI) recently launched a new Web site to provide producers with information on how to manage Fusarium head blight, commonly known as scab. Scab Smart is designed to serve as a quick guide to the integrated strategies that result in optimum reduction of scab and its primary associated mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON). 

On the site, producers can access information by management strategy or wheat class. Scab Smart’s content will be updated on an ongoing basis as new management information becomes available. The group has previously reported that infections of scab have reached worrisome levels in several Southern soft winter wheat states due to wet weather. 

University wheat breeders and others are working to develop new wheat lines that are tolerant to scab. For example, the wheat variety Sabin is a medium-maturity hard red spring that underwent extensive testing as MN03358-4 throughout wheat growing areas before being released by the University of Minnesota (U of M).  

“In testing, Sabin has consistently been above average in yield with good test weight and protein.  It performed well in testing locations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Canada,” says Jim Anderson, U of M wheat breeder. He points out that Sabin has the Sumai 3 source for scab resistance and a rating of 4 (on 1-9 scale), similar to Faller, Freyr and Tom varieties.

Go to Smart Scab for more info.