Fusarium related mycotoxins present in wheat straw can be a threat to livestock production. When wheat straw bedding that contains mycotoxins is ingested by certain animals (i.e. pigs), the animals can become ill. Methods to reduce Fusarium-related mycotoxins that develop in wheat straw in the field have not been intensively studied. Focusing on three of the major goals of the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative, 1. to develop integrated management strategies for mycotoxins, 2. to develop management and mitigation tools for mycotoxin control, and 3. to develop a full understanding of factors influencing toxin accumulation, this project will develop information that will help devise tools for management of mycotoxins in wheat straw. The proposed research will help researchers develop a better understanding of the effects of management practices on mycotoxin levels present in wheat straw.
Fusarium related mycotoxins present in wheat straw can be a threat to livestock production. When wheat straw bedding that contains mycotoxins is ingested by certain animals (i.e. pigs), the animals can become ill. Methods to reduce Fusarium-related mycotoxins that develop in wheat straw in the field have not been intensively studied. Focusing on one of the major goals of the U. S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative, to develop management tools to control Fusarium-related mycotoxins (such as deoxynivalenol - DON), this proposed research project will investigate methods to reduce mycotoxins in wheat straw. Wheat straw samples from field research trials that evaluate Fusarium head blight (FHB) management practices will be collected and analyzed for trichothecene mycotoxins such as DON, zearalenone, and nivalenol. The specific FHB management practices that will be evaluated in these trials are host resistance and foliar fungicides.
