The Efficacy of Spraying Fungicides to Control Fusarium Head Blight Infection in Spring Malting Barley

Public interest in sourcing local foods has extended into beverages, and the current demand for local brewing and distilling ingredients is quickly increasing. One new market that has generated interest from both farmers and end-users is malted barley. The Northeast is home to over 180 microbreweries and 37 craft distillers. Until recently, local malt was not readily available to brewers or distillers. The rapidly expanding malting industry is providing farmers with new markets, and end-users readily available local malt. Operating maltsters still struggle to source enough local grain to match demand for their product. In addition to short supplies, the local barley that is available sometimes does not meet the rigid quality standards for malting. One major obstacle for growers is Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection of grain. This fungal disease is currently the most important disease facing organic and conventional grain growers in the Northeast, resulting in loss of yield, shriveled grain, and most importantly, mycotoxin contamination. A vomitoxin called deoxynivalenol (DON) is the primary mycotoxin associated with FHB. The spores are usually transported by air currents and can infect plants at spike emergence through grain fill. Consuming DON at over 1 ppm poses a health risk to both humans and livestock, and products with DON values greater than 1 ppm are considered unsuitable for human consumption by the FDA.