Wheat Planting is Just Around the Corner

With all this talk about drought, heat, and low yields, I thought it would be nice to start thinking about the fall and planting wheat. Decsions are now being made, or will soon be made, about which wheat varieties to plant this fall. I just wanted to put in a plug for planting varieties that resist Fusarium Head Blight (a.k.a., head scab). Research has shown that up to 75% control of FHB can be achieved when both resistant varieties and foliar fungicides are used and weather favors the disease. However, either resistance or fungicide used alone will only achieve 40-50% control. Obviously there is no way of knowing if FHB will  be a problem in KY next spring; it wasn't this year. Still, it is prudent to seek out and plant some varieties that will not get hammered next spring should conditions favor FHB next May.  Here is the link to the 2012 UK Variety Test results: www.uky.edu/Ag/WheatVarietyTest