Canada: Alberta Agriculture launches new Fusarium video

Fusarium graminearum is a hazardous and infectious disease that costs Alberta producers between $3 and $8.7 million annually due to reduced yields and downgrading. While most if the fusarium is a big problem for growers of cash crops, this video might be also interest for greenhouse growers as it explains how it spreads.

“The effects of Fusarium graminearum on cereal crops in Alberta are devastating,” says Michael Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF). “So a short video was created outlining how to manage it, in an effort to bring awareness about this important fungal disease.”

The short video, “Stop Fusarium Before it Stops You,” depicts the fusarium spores as little cartoon monsters running amok in Alberta. The video briefly outlines the causes and symptoms of the pest, and speaks to management practices to help stop fusarium at the farmgate: “This is everything from selecting healthy seed that has been tested and proven to be free of fursarium, to utilizing fungicidal seed treatments, to rotating crops, to employing in-crop fungicides, to irrigating at the right time,” says Harding.

In 1999, Fusiarum graminearum was added as a declared pest under Alberta’s Agricultural Pests Act. The Ministry has maintained an active public awareness campaign ever since, and this video is part of AF’s arsenal of resources to raise awareness and promote prevention/management of the disease. Other free resources, including bulletins, posters, and factsheets, are available on AF’s website.