26 Special report IN 2018, ONTARIO EXPERIENCED A HIGH INCIDENCE OF DEOXYNIVALENOL (DON) IN CORN – COSTING ONTARIO’S GRAIN FARMERS AN ESTIMATED $200 MILLION. Grain Farmers of Ontario responded by investing in multiple areas of DON research to help mitigate the impact of future DON issues. One of the key areas of research was genetic screening for DON tolerance. In 2019, the Ontario Corn Committee established trials to refine protocols towards publishing screening hybrids for DON. After five years of refining testing protocols, the Ontario Corn Committee approved the results as relatively accurate and repeatable. THE BACKGROUND Corn hybrids were compared against a check hybrid that was highly susceptible to Gibberella ear rot and DON accumulation. The data serves as a relative risk assessment of hybrids and can be used with other sources of information to make informed decisions. Data from the 2024 Ontario Corn Hybrid Screening Trials will be posted on GoCrops.ca in 2025. Be sure to reference the trials as seed selection is confirmed and again at fungicide timing to help with management decisions for reducing Gibberella ear rot and DON accumulation in corn. RELIABLE DATA Highly replicated plots across multiple environments provide reliable data by creating an opportunity for different temperatures at silking, which is known to be a key factor for the conditions that cause Gibberella ear rot. Humidity in the corn canopy is maintained by overhead misting, and ears are inoculated by hand at the best timing for optimal infection. By providing the most favourable conditions for infection and DON development, researchers ensure that the worst-case scenario occurs to ensure that conditions are highly favourable and uniform for disease infection and DON development across all hybrids for reliable hybrid comparisons. The full report of the Ontario Corn Hybrid DON screening trials, as well as yearly hybrid performance data, can be found at www.GoCrops.ca. Are you ready for corn harvest? KNOW THE RISKS OF DON GIBBERELLA EAR ROT (PHOTO: ALBERT TENUTA, OMAFA).
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