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Significance

Losses and economic impact

Fusarium head blight is one of the most devastating plant diseases in the world. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ranks FHB as the worst plant disease to hit the US since the rust epidemics in the 1950s. Since 1990, wheat and barley farmers in the United States have lost over $3 billion dollars due to FHB epidemics (Figure 20). Canada has also experienced severe losses since 1990.

Figure 20

Mycotoxins as a threat to human health

The mycotoxins produced by F. graminearum may pose a serious threat to human and domestic animal health. Grain that has been infected with the fungus may become incorporated into our staple diets. Strains of the fungus from different countries produce different toxins, some potentially more potent and dangerous than those from strains currently in the United States.

The years ahead

Many fear that the disease will continue to be the cause of major crop losses in the United States and beyond, with the potential to put a major dent in the world's food supply during the years to come. Currently, low commodity prices, increasingly stringent tolerances for mycotoxins, and lack of affordable and highly efficacious control methods, have made wheat and barley production unprofitable in many areas of North America. Who will grow the grain to produce our bread, pastries, pasta, and beer in the years ahead (Figure 21)?

Figure 21

The US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative

The US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) was formed to stop Fusarium head blight from further damaging wheat and barley crops in the USA. The USWBSI involves unprecedented cooperative efforts among many federal, state, and private research scientists, as well as growers and associated industries.