Effects of field application of tebuconazole on yield, yield components and the mycotoxin content of Fusarium-infected wheat grain

Winter wheat cultivar Basalt was artificially inoculated with Fusarium culmorum at the end of anthesis and treated with the systemic fungicide tebuconazole (Folicur(R)) a few days before and/or after inoculation. Check plots remained uninoculated and unsprayed. Head infections, yield, yield components and the percentage of Fusarium-infected kernels were determined. Artificial Fusarium inoculation lowered yield significantly by 24.2-45.0%. Any fungicide treatment saved yield, thousand grain weight and kernel numbers per head. Pre-infectional application of tebuconazole was superior to application carried out post-infection. Moreover, the fungicide controlled deoxynivalenol (DON) synthesis in the field to a considerable extent, and enabled good control of Fusarium head blight, glume blotch and the percentage of Fusarium-infected kernels. The levels of Fusarium kernel infection after harvest clearly reflected the DON content of wheat grain.