A multicomponent decision support system to manage Fusarium head blight and mycotoxins in durum wheat

Mycotoxin contamination is of great concern in durum wheat and pasta production in Italy. A long-term project was\r\nconducted to improve mycotoxin management, and this project had six stages, from basic research to large-scale\r\napplication. In stage 1, research was conducted on the biology and epidemiology of the fungal species involved in\r\nthe Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex. The results were used in stage 2 to develop a multispecies, mechanistic\r\nmodel that included the effect of host and weather on: (1) inoculum production and dispersal; (2) infection and\r\ndisease onset; and (3) mycotoxin accumulation. The weather-driven model was then validated under different\r\nepidemiological conditions. In stage 3, the model was expanded to include those crop management options that\r\ninfluence the risk of FHB and mycotoxin contamination, i.e. growing area, host species and resistance level of the\r\ncultivar, previous crop, and soil tillage. In stage 4, the complete model was included in a web-based decision support\r\nsystem (DSS) named granoduro.net®. The DSS provides plot-specific and up-to-date decision supports about weather,\r\nfertilisation, crop growth, weed control, and disease and mycotoxin risk. In stage 5, the DSS, together with Good\r\nAgricultural Practices, was applied for 2 years in 25 pilot farms across Italy. DSS use reduced external inputs (i.e.\r\nseeds, fungicides, and fertilisers) and costs, maintained or increased crop yield and quality, and kept mycotoxin\r\ncontamination below the legal limit. Thus, the DSS significantly increased farmer income and reduced emission of\r\ngreenhouse gasses. In stage 6, in an agreement with Barilla (a pasta producing company), the DSS was successfully\r\nused to manage 18,000 ha of durum wheat across Italy during 2013-2014. The DSS is currently being improved to\r\ninclude additional Fusarium species and related toxins, and the sexual stage of Fusarium graminearum. DSSs for\r\ncommon wheat and barley are also under development.