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Aim To evaluate biological control agents (BCAs) against Fusarium graminearum on infected maize stalks as a means to reduce Fusarium head blight (FHB) in subsequently grown wheat. Methods and Results In the laboratory, BCAs were applied against F. graminearum on maize stalk pieces. Clonostachys rosea inhibited the perithecia development and ascospore discharge when applied before, simultaneously with and after the pathogen. In the field, we simulated a system with high disease pressure, that is, a maize‐wheat rotation under no‐tillage, by preparing maize stalks inoculated with F. graminearum. The infected stalks were treated with formulations of C. rosea selected in vitro or the commercial BCA strain Trichoderma atrobrunneum ITEM908 and exposed to field conditions over winter and spring between winter wheat rows. Monitoring with spore traps and of FHB symptoms, as well as quantification of F. graminearum incidence and DNA in harvested grain revealed significant reductions by C. rosea by up to 85, 91, 69 and 95% compared with an inoculated but untreated positive control, respectively. Deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) contents were reduced by up to 93 and 98%, respectively. Treatments with T. atrobrunneum were inconsistent, with significant reductions of DON and ZEN under warm and wet climatic conditions only. Conclusions The findings support the application of C. rosea against F. graminearum on residues of maize to suppress the primary inoculum of FHB. Significance and Impact of the Study As sustainable agriculture requires solutions to control FHB, hence, the application of C. rosea during the mulching of maize crop residues should be evaluated in on‐farm experiments. ISSN:1364-5072 ISSN:1365-2672

CONTEXT The effective control of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat, mainly caused by the toxigenic fungus Fusarium graminearum, has a significant impact on food safety worldwide. As maize is one of the main hosts of F. graminearum, the risk of infection by this plant pathogen is highest when wheat is grown after maize and infected crop residues are not buried through ploughing. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the agronomic and economic viability of two innovative cropping systems with the goal to reduce the risk of FHB and mycotoxins in subsequent wheat. These systems were maize-intercropping and cover cropping with different plant species before the wheat growing season under reduced tillage practices. METHODS For the maize-intercropping study, red clover, sudangrass, phacelia, white mustard and Indian mustard were used as intercrops with grain maize and compared with a sole maize crop in a grain maize-winter wheat rotation under no-tillage or reduced tillage. For the cover cropping study, white mustard, Indian mustard and winter pea were used as interval cover crops in a silage maize-spring wheat rotation under no-tillage and compared with treatments without a cover crop, i.e. herbicide or plough applied after silage maize. The incidence of Fusarium head blight causing species and the accumulation of mycotoxins in grains of wheat as well as the crop yield were monitored. In addition, an economic assessment was conducted by calculating the receipts, operating costs and gross margin for each cropping system. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Growing intercrops with maize or interval cover crops in a maize-wheat rotation under reduced tillage decreased mycotoxins in wheat while maintaining wheat yield. The use of white mustard or Indian mustard as intercrops reduced deoxynivalenol in winter wheat by up to 52% compared with maize grown as a sole crop. The use of white mustard, Indian mustard or winter pea as interval cover crops also reduced deoxynivalenol and improved yield in spring wheat by up to 85% and 25%, respectively. Remarkably, the toxin reduction through these cover crops was comparable with that obtained by ploughing. However, due to increased operating costs, we observed economic trade-offs in these innovative cropping systems, i.e. 7–25% reduced gross margin over the entire rotation. SIGNIFICANCE Both cereal growers and consumers can benefit from the recommended practices, which considerably lower the risk of mycotoxin contamination in harvest products while maintaining crop yield. To address the economic trade-offs, policy makers should support innovation in cropping systems, enhancing food safety while also ensuring the economic viability of cereal production systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic led many emerging market central banks to adopt, for the first time, unconventional policies in the form of asset purchase programs. In this study, we analyze the effects of these announcements on domestic financial markets using both event studies and local projections methodology. We find that these asset purchase announcements lowered bond yields, did not lead to a depreciation of domestic currencies, and did not have much effect on equities. While the immediate effect of asset purchases appears positive, further consideration of the risks and longer-term effects of unconventional monetary policies is needed. We highlight the trade-offs involved with the implementation of these measures, and discuss their risks. This working paper adds to the debate on how asset purchase programs should be a regular part of the emerging market policy toolkit.

Barley can be contaminated with a wide range of fungal secondary metabolites, including various mycotoxins that reduce the quality and safety of raw materials as well as cause economic losses. A survey was conducted for the crop seasons 2016 and 2017 to analyse fungal metabolites, including mycotoxins, in grain and straw samples of barley, which originated from fields across Switzerland. In total, 253 grain and 237 straw samples were analysed by LC-MS/MS detecting 87 and 86 fungal metabolites, respectively, which are reported to be produced by Fusarium, Alternaria, Claviceps, Aspergillus, Penicillium and other genera. None of the grain samples exceeded the permitted limits of mycotoxins set by the European Commission. With regard to straw, three and six samples exceeded the guidance levels set for raw grains for deoxynivalenol and the sum of T-2 and HT-2, respectively. Nevertheless, some samples contained high concentrations of unregulated fungal metabolites, e.g. enniatins, infectopyron, zinniol and rubellin D. This was more frequently observed in straw and, to a lesser extent, in grains, suggesting that the presence of fungal metabolites in straw material should not be neglected. Our study demonstrated that both grain and straw matrices of barley represent large pools of various fungal secondary metabolites, most of them with undetermined toxicity. Hence, future studies should focus on the toxicology of the predominant fungal metabolites that occurred at elevated concentrations as well as the health impact of co-occurrence of toxins primarily with metabolites that revealed strong correlations.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most important cereal diseases worldwide, causing yield losses and contamination of harvested products with mycotoxins.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most important cereal diseases worldwide, causing yield losses and contamination of harvested products with mycotoxins. Fusarium graminearum is one of the most common FHB-causing species in wheat and barley cropping systems. We assessed the ability of different botanical extracts to suppress essential stages of the fungal life cycle using three strains of F. graminearum (FG0410, FG2113, and FG1145). The botanicals included aqueous extracts from white mustard (Sinapis alba) seed flour (Pure Yellow Mustard [PYM] and Tillecur [Ti]) as well as milled Chinese galls (CG). At 2% concentration (wt/vol), PYM and Ti completely inhibited growth of mycelium of all F. graminearum strains whereas, at 1%, CG reduced the growth by 65 to 83%, depending on the strain. While PYM and Ti reduced the germination of both conidia and ascospores at 2% (wt/vol), CG was only effective in reducing conidia germination. Perithecia formation of FG0410 but not FG2113 was suppressed by all botanicals. Moreover, application of botanicals on mature perithecia led to a two- to fourfold reduction in discharge of ascospores. Using liquid chromatography (LC) with diode array detection, we quantified the principal glucosinolate component sinalbin of PYM and Ti. LC time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to demonstrate that the bioactive matrix of CG contains different gallotannins as well as gallic and tannic acids. Possible antifungal mechanisms of the botanical matrices are discussed. The results of this study are promising and suggest that PYM, Ti, and CG should be explored further for efficacy at managing FHB. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating fungal disease of small-grain cereals that causes significant yield losses and mycotoxin contamination, diminishing food and feed safety worldwide. In contrast to wheat, little is known about the agricultural practices that influence FHB and Fusarium mycotoxins in barley. Thus, a nationwide survey was conducted across Switzerland for harvest samples in 2016 and 2017, accompanied with a questionnaire to obtain information about the agricultural practices in each barley field. In total, 253 grain and 237 straw samples were analyzed. In both years, F. graminearum was the predominant Fusarium species in grains followed by F. avenaceum and F. poae. Growing maize before barley was associated with increased amount of F. graminearum DNA in grains and straw as well as with elevated concentrations of deoxynivalenol in grains of barley. On the other hand, growing pasture before barley resulted in increased incidence of F. poae and concentration of numerous mycotoxins in grains (e.g., enniatins) and straw (e.g., beauvericin). Reduced tillage practices were linked to increased incidence of F. graminearum and deoxynivalenol content in grains and straw. In contrast, conventional tillage was linked to higher incidence of F. poae. Moreover, use of spring barley was associated with decreased amount of F. graminearum DNA in grains and straw, but increased incidence of F. poae and F. avenaceum. Use of the spring variety Eunova was linked to increased concentrations of several Fusarium mycotoxins in grains (e.g., enniatins and nivalenol). Furthermore, the application of strobilurin-based fungicides was associated with higher deoxynivalenol and beauvericin contents in grains. The application of plant growth regulators was associated with increased concentration of some Fusarium mycotoxins in grains (e.g., culmorin), while absence of growth regulators application was linked to elevated concentration of some other mycotoxins (e.g., nivalenol). We conclude that individual agricultural practices can suppress some FHB causing species and reduce the associated mycotoxins, but can promote others. Hence, integrated control measures combining numerous prevention and intervention strategies should be applied for the sustainable management of mycotoxins in barley.

The aim of this study was to assess the short-term effects of tillage practice (reduced tillage – RT; standard tillage – ST) and fertilisation regime (solid cattle manure – SCM; lucerne pellets – LP; grass/clover silage – GCS) on soil quality indicators in an organic potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production system. Use of RT enhanced the biomass and number of earthworms compared with ST. Concentrations of soil mineral N ((Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.)) showed similar decreasing patterns over time across both tillage systems during the potato production period. However, soil mineral N was overall higher in the 0–15 cm soil layer for RT and in the 15–30 cm layer for ST. Soil bulk density was higher for RT than ST at 1, 4 and 7 weeks after planting, while a linear reverse correlation was found between soil bulk density and tuber yield. Although both soil temperature and soil moisture content were not found to be greatly affected by tillage practice, net soil N mineralisation was estimated to be 65 kg N ha−1 greater under ST than RT for the potato production period. The application of LP and GCS resulted in higher mid- and end-season soil mineral N concentrations and crop N accumulation at harvest compared to SCM. During initial adaptation to reduced tillage practices in organic potato systems, farmers need to carefully weigh potential conflicts between initial yield reductions and soil conservation goals.

The majority of Dutch farmers perceive that mouldboard ploughing prior to potato planting is necessary, despite its negative impacts on inherent soil fertility and soil structure. An innovative agronomic practice in Dutch organic agriculture is the use of cut-and-carry fertilizers with which above-ground biomass of crops with high nitrogen content (e.g. grass/clover) is harvested and transferred to other fields as plant-based fertilizers. The objective of this study was to investigate the interactive effects of two tillage systems (reduced tillage (RT), standard tillage (ST)) and three organic fertilizer amendments (solid cattle manure (SCM), lucerne pellets (LP), grass/clover silage (GCS)) on crop performance and nitrogen utilization of organic potato. Use of RT decreased tuber yield by 13.4 % compared to ST due to lower average tuber size which was related to higher soil bulk density and increased vulnerability to drought stress during tuber bulking. On the other hand, use of RT positively affected nitrogen utilization and tuber quality in terms of specific gravity, dry matter and starch contents. However, the price premium associated with enhanced tuber quality may not offset the observed yield gap between RT and ST. Plant-based fertilizers enhanced nitrogen utilization in terms of apparent nitrogen recovery compared to animal-based. Although use of LP resulted in the highest yield for both tillage systems, its high price may be cost-inhibitive. An integrated approach taking into account N release patterns, environmental conditions, final yields, and production costs is needed in order to optimize resource use efficiency and overall profitability for farmers., Organic Agriculture, 6 (2), ISSN:1879-4238, ISSN:1879-4246

In the cab of a tractor, the driver communicates information to the tractor using various control types (i.e., rotary switches, toggle switches, rocker switches, knobs, push buttons, hand-levers, and steering wheels). The published literature documents numerous design and ergonomic considerations that should be followed to maximize the operator’s interaction with machine controls. This paper reviews the published literature and identifies guidelines related to seven types of controls, control placement, control labeling, and functional reach. Six agricultural tractor workstations, with manufacturing dates between 2003 and 2005, were analyzed to determine the degree to which tractor manufacturers comply with these published recommendations. Published design recommendations are being followed, however, some dimension values being used are less conservative than others. Separation distance is the most notable case; small separation distances are being used, perhaps to fit more controls into the limited space available within tractor cabs. Analysis revealed that 89% of controls are situated on the right-hand side of the workstation, but only 75% of controls fall within the functional reach envelope. Ninety-five percent of controls are labelled using either a symbol or text, with symbols being used most frequently.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating fungal disease of wheat worldwide causing yield losses and grain contamination with mycotoxins that jeopardise food and feed safety. Field experiments using mulch layers or botanicals were conducted in two consecutive years to investigate prevention measures with the potential to suppress FHB and reduce mycotoxins in wheat. We simulated a system with high disease pressure, i.e. maize-wheat rotation under no-tillage, by applying maize residues artificially inoculated with Fusarium graminearum in field plots after wheat sowing. For mulch layers, a novel cut-and-carry biofumigation approach was employed. Cover crops grown in separate fields were harvested in autumn, chopped and applied directly onto the inoculated maize residues after wheat sowing. Mulch layers of white mustard (Sinapis alba), Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) or berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) were applied. Botanicals included aqueous extracts of white mustard seed flours or milled Chinese galls and were applied to inoculated maize residues after wheat sowing in autumn or at wheat tillering in spring. Mulch layers of white mustard, Indian mustard or clover consistently suppressed Fusarium infection in both years and decreased mycotoxin contents in wheat grain, i.e. deoxynivalenol by up to 50 %, 58 % and 56 %, and zearalenone by up to 76 %, 71 % and 87 %, respectively. Botanicals were more effective in the second year, when the disease pressure was higher, reducing deoxynivalenol and zearalenone contents in grain by 22%–42% and 60%–78%, respectively. However, there were no clear differences between autumn and spring applications of botanicals on disease pressure and mycotoxin contamination. Mulch layer treatments improved grain yield up to 15 % compared with the positive control, while the botanicals had a minor impact on crop yield. Within the context of sustainable crop protection, cereal growers could benefit from the recommended prevention strategies by decreasing the risk of mycotoxin contamination in harvest products and thus improving grain yield and quality. ISSN:0378-4290 ISSN:1872-6852