Fusarium monitoring: Infection risk update
By the end of June, most of the GB winter crop area had reached or passed midflowering, with most of this crop area at moderate to high risk of fusarium infection,
according to monitoring work funded by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. |
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usarium head blight( FHB), which can lower both yield and quality of the harvested crop, |
published on cereals. ahdb. org. uk / monitoring throughout the main flowering period, included a regional breakdown of the proportion of winter wheat crops flowering and |
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can be caused by fungal Fusarium and Microdochium species. In wheat, F. graminearum and F. culmorum dominate, producing DON and ZON mycotoxins.
The AHDB fusarium monitoring service, which is led by ADAS, has been running since 2014 to provide the industry with a preharvest indication of regional mycotoxin risk.
The fusarium infection risk levels are determined using a simple model, which was developed and piloted as part of earlier AHDB-funded research.
The model uses flowering information, as well as daily rainfall data, to provide regional estimates of fusarium infection risk.
Crop growth stage information, used in the monitoring reports, is gathered by an established network of independent agronomists covering 30 counties in England and Scotland.
The weekly risk reports,
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estimates of whether they are at‘ very high’,‘ high’,‘ medium’ or‘ low risk’ of fusarium infection.
Dhan Bhandari, who manages grain quality research at AHDB, said:“ So much of fusarium mycotoxin risk is driven by rainfall during the crucial GS59 – 69 and GS87 – harvest periods.
“ Last year, the main flowering period in England and Wales in mid-June was largely dry, so infection risk was low for many crops.
“ So far, this summer has been far wetter and it has driven up the risk of winter wheat crops becoming infected by fusarium.”
Although the fusarium monitoring work provides a reasonable estimate of the fusarium infection risk across the country, actual field-level infection risk can deviate from the regional averages significantly.
Field-level risk is driven by many factors and growers are
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Launch of new fully portable weighbridge
Griffith Elder are pleased to announce that at the Cereals 2016 Exhibition they launched a new and innovative design of weighbridge that is fully portable.
U nlike conventional truck scales which need to be bolted down in one position, the Griffith Elder Portable Weighbridge can be moved from one site to another without re-calibration and with the minimum of fuss. Conventional weighbridges go out of calibration when moved, however the Griffith Elder portable weighbridge is digitally calibrated in the factory and does not need to be recalibrated each time it is moved. Made to sit on a flat concrete surface the Griffith Elder Portable Weighbridge can be assembled on site within an hour. It is disassembled even more quickly when moving to a new site.
Each component of the portable digital weighbridge weighs less than 2.2 tonnes, so a typical farm telehandler can easily pick up and place each part. The weigh-beams just plug into each other with a single cable going back to the indicator and printer. David Elder says“ We call it‘ plug-and-weigh’ because that’ s what it is.”
The Portable Weighbridge can be run from mains electricity, or, if required can be powered from a 12 volt battery or solar panel battery charger. So, no electricity is needed at the site for the weighbridge. advised to read AHDB guidance to put them in the strongest position to manage fusarium infection risks and mycotoxins as part of an industry-wide effort.
Dr Bhandari continued:“ Due to the local nature of summer downpours, it is important that growers include rainfall figures from each field on the mycotoxin risk assessment.
“ As always, we also advise that growers combine and store weathered or lodged crop areas separately and take grain samples to be in a strong position to market the crop and get the best return.” How to sample grain
In 2013, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds issued its grain sampling guide, covering the essentials of when to sample and how to do it.
Four key periods for sampling exist. The first period is at harvest to establish the quality and direct grain storage and marketing decisions. The second is during storage to protect quality, by flagging up early signs of spoilage or infestation. The third is as grain leaves the farm to provide a record of what has been sold. The fourth is at commercial intake, where
There are a number of different widths and lengths to choose from. Most common are 3 or 3.5 metres wide and 15.3 or 18.3 metres long, though 21.3 metres long truck scales are becoming more popular as the lengths of lorries grow.
A range of software which is compatible with the Griffith Elder Portable Weighbridge is available to suit most farming businesses. Griffith Elder provide grain storage software which does everything from automatically taking in moisture and other parameters from a meter such as the Dickey John or the Infratec Grain Analyser to providing full costs on the drying and storage of grain. A different software package for silage making stores all information on the intake of whole crop, including dry matter calculations and the amount in each clamp; and yet another specialist software is used for straw bale storage, again including dry matter and costs per tonne for storage.
Griffith Elder have weighbridges sold in the 1980s still working today. No messing, straight forward engineering from a British company. For further information contact: 01284
719619 or visit www. griffith-elder. com
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Dhan Bhandari
buyers confirm that grain quality meets expectations.
If you would like to know more about sampling, including the difference between an‘ incremental’,‘ aggregate’ and‘ representative’ sample and how sampling can help you reduce waste and minimise charges, claims and rejections, visit cereals. ahdb. org. uk / harvesttoolkit
The AHDB Harvest Toolkit web page also includes links to the latest mycotoxin information, as well as useful guidance to help growers avoid the most common problems associated with cereals and oilseed sales contracts.
www. farmingmonthly. co. uk July 2016 | Farming Monthly | 17