Spring’s here, and with it the need to look out for wheat and barley diseases. Here are two tools to help us monitor disease risk and, if necessary, choose a fungicide.
Fungicide Efficacy Table – this table breaks wheat fungicides into classes by mode of action (strobilurins, triazoles and combinations). Each product is rated for efficacy against the wheat diseases we are likely to encounter. Updated in March 2025.
Fusarium head blight (scab) risk tool – this is the website for scab fungicide decision-making that has long been available thanks to the US Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative, which is funded by the USDA. Some key things about scab risk:- The tool uses your weather in the last 2 weeks to predict your risk today of a scab epidemic in your crop. Flowering is when your crop is at risk of scab infection, and when fungicides might need to be applied (see photos below).
- The tool also can take into account the resistance or susceptibility of your varieties.
- Tillage and previous crop can also be important. No-till wheat with corn debris may require a scab-targeted fungicide even if the model shows low scab risk.
The right time to apply fungicides to winter barley and winter wheat for FHB protection:
