Minimizing Yield Losses and Sanitary Risks through an Appropriate Combination of Fungicide Seed and Foliar Treatments on Wheat in Different Production Situations

Among the fungal diseases that affect wheat in temperate growing areas, Septoria Leaf Blotch (SLB) and Fusarium head blight (FHB) result yield sanitary risk losses could be minimized through appropriate fungicide applications. Furthermore, request from policy makers food market to reduce use of chemical pesticides agriculture has driven research direction performant defense strategies with a reduced spraying pesticides. The aim this study was evaluate effects different programs on control SLB FHB, as well grain deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination common wheat. Field experiments were carried out 2016 2017 North Italy. Two seed treatments (conventional vs. systemic) four combinations foliar applications (untreated control, application at end stem elongation, flowering, double treatment elongation flowering) have been compared, according full factorial design, under two agronomic conditions: plowing minimum tillage. Foliar sprayings found more effective controlling SLB, while triazole flowering an essential practice FHB DON contents. led significant benefits, albeit only production situations highest severity (e.g., experiment, after ploughing conventional treatment). systemic dressing higher prolonged STB protection, canopy greenness during ripening all situations. In 2017, which suffered high disease pressure, increase (+5%), compared one. combination guaranteed both maximized yield, contamination. This provides useful information used programs, based treatments, for sanity distinct pressure scenarios.