b'PARTNER CONTENTFUSARIUM: YOURE IN THE DRIVERS SEATAlbertas decision to removeFusarium graminearum as a regulated pest has put the pathogen back in the news. Heres why its more crucial than ever to think about testing.Morgan Webb, President, Seed Check TechnologiesIN CASE YOUmissed it, a quick news recap: earlier thislaboratory. The most common and reliable are incubation year the Alberta government removed Fusarium gramine- tests. The seed is pretreated and plated on specialized arum from the list of pests covered by the Pest andmedia, which favour the growth of the organism being Nuisance Control Regulation, which is part of the prov- looked for. The plates are then incubated and examined inces Agricultural Pests Act. by a seed pathologist for specific traits. Visual tests can be Fusarium is a fungal disease of cereal crops thatused to spot disease bodies in seed lots. DNA and immu-affects grain development and quality. It causes fusariumnoassay tests, which look for genetics of a pathogen, can head blight, a serious fungal disease that affects wheat,also be used.barley, oats and corn. It has been present in Alberta atTesting ensures a small problem doesnt become very low levels since 1989. Removing it from the regula- a bigger one. You might have only 1 in 100,000 kernels tion will allow Alberta to modernize in order to manageinfected with fusarium. At that level, you might think you the disease, rather than having zero tolerance for it. dont have an issue. If you start to grow that seed and have What does this mean for Alberta and the country ata wet year, and it spreads, you might soon have 1 in 10,000 large? inflected kernels. Finding your level is important, especially More than ever, growers are in the drivers seat when itonce levels rise high enough to become more detectable.comes to fusarium control. Governments are increasinglyTesting helps you explore management options. getting out of regulating pests like fusarium, meaning thatJust like with many medical conditions, there is life after a you no longer are required by law to test for it. At firstpositive fusarium test result. You can choose to manage it glance that might sound like a bad thing, but on the flipwith fungicide, seed treatments, rotations and other con-side, it means you have full control over how you choosetrols. You can also move away from susceptible varieties, to manage the pathogen. which brings me to my next point.The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how importantStarting with clean seedlike certifiedis the it is to manage our approach to our health and the healthbest way to manage a fusarium concern. Sourcing of those around us. We can choose to distance ourselvesseed from a reliable provider who ensures the seed they physically from others and to wear a mask. We cansell is clean and disease-free is the best strategy to pre-choose to get tested if we have symptoms or even beforeventing the problem in the first place. Certified seed has then, if we fear we may have been exposed and want aalready been tested to ensure youre getting a pure prod-test to tell us whether or not we have the virus. uct, so you dont have to wonder if what youre putting in The same goes for fusarium. Testing is a good thingthe ground might lead to problems down the road.and can be used in a variety of ways to ensure you keepRight now, with harvest underway or winding down fusarium levels under control if you are susceptible. in much of the country, its a good time to begin thinking Working with a professional, reliable testing pro- not just about fusarium but seed health in general. Its a vider helps you to figure out your options and begingood idea to know in the fall whats going into the bin so developing a tailor-made management plan built justwise decisions can be made for next season.for you. There are many ways to test seed health in theFor more info visit seedcheck.net! SEPTEMBER 2020 GERMINATION.CA 39'