Industry Issues
Fusarium Response Plan: Alberta Response Plan for Fusarium Head Blight
Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum is the most destructive fungal disease of wheat and barley in Canada. Movement of F. graminearum into Alberta from Saskatchewan and Manitoba threatens to cause significant economic losses to producers and the grain industry. This fungal disease can greatly decrease yield, quality and generate mycotoxins.
The FHB Response Plan was developed as a co-operative effort between government and industry, including commissions and cereal producers, and is intended to give guidance and outline strategies for dealing with the threat of F. graminearum to Alberta. The current focus is on voluntary compliance, education, minimal regulatory components, and research leading to effective disease control procedures, in order to keep uninfested areas disease-free and to control the disease in the few areas where F. graminearum is present at trace levels. The causal agent, F. graminearum, is now included as a pest under the Alberta Agricultural Pests Act.
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