Causal species of fusarium head blight of spring wheat and winter wheat in Prince Edward Island in 2020

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most important diseases affecting wheat in Canada and can cause a loss in yield and result in grain being contaminated by toxins. To better understand the different fungi that can cause FHB in PEI, we collected spring wheat and winter wheat spikes from 20 fields across PEI in summer 2020 and determined which fungi species were infecting the grain. More FHB was observed in fields of western and central PEI than eastern PEI, which was the opposite what was observed last year. Fusarium sporotrichioides, a common fungus in PEI, was the most abundant fungi isolated again this year. Overall disease pressure for FHB in PEI in 2020 was low likely due to dry weather conditions