Seed-borne Fusarium levels in the northern region in 2010 and 2011

Abstract

Key findings • Fusarium infection levels in grain are heavily dependent on seasonal conditions during flowering and grain-fill with much higher levels from the 2010 than the 2011 harvest. • Even the lower levels in 2011 may still be introducing small amounts of seed-borne crown rot into paddocks, potentially compromising any break crop benefits on inoculum levels. • Visual assessment of white and/or pink grain, charactertistic of FHB infection, potentially underestimates the actual extent of seed-borne Fusarium in the seed.