Barley Monoculture System: Effect of Tillage Practices On Deoxynivalenol (DON) Content.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) associated with the presence of the fungus Fusarium graminearum is probably one of the most feared diseases in barley (Hordeum vulgare) production in Eastern Canada. In addition to reducing grain yields, the fungus produces a toxin (deoxynivalenol or DON) which can affect the health of livestock.  The objective of this study was to determine the impact of different tillage systems on DON content in barley.  The tillage systems were:  T1: Conventional (fall moldboard plowing and spring harrowing – 2 passes with a cultivator), T2: Chisel (fall) and spring harrowing (2 passes with a cultivator), T3: Chisel (fall) and spring harrowing (1 pass with cultivator), T4: No tillage (fall) and spring harrowing  (1 pass with a  rotative harrow), T5: No tillage (fall) and spring harrowing  (1 pass with a cultivator) and T6: No-till (no tillage the previous fall and no harrowing in spring).  Those tillage systems were initiated in 1990 and since then, barley was grown without rotation.  The DON content of grain is determined since 2003.  Because the fungus that causes FHB survives on residue left on the soil, and according to the results of this trial, tillage practices that bury cereal residue could be used to reduce deoxynivalenol (DON) content in barley.