Assessment, Detection and Innovative Treatment Methods For Seed Borne Diseases in Organic Wheat and Barley Seed Production

The goal of this project is to develop effective non-chemical strategies for control of seed-borne diseases in organic production systems. Our project will provide a critical contribution by increasing the farmers' ability to produce high-quality seed that meets both organic and seed certification standards. In doing so, we will provide essential information to inform the National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In particular, research conducted by this project will help us develop IPM strategies to benefit production agriculture - grain production in this case - as well as protecting our environmental resources. Seeds are our most important resources in production agriculture and, hence, the ability to test for and limit distribution of serious seedborne pathogens of economically important grain crops ensures a consistent and safe food supply throughout the U.S. To that end, our project aims to meet the CPPM program focus area of Plant Protection Tactics and
Tools.Objective 1. Assess foliar and head diseases in replicated field plots of wheat and barley in the field to determine relation to yield, germination, and incidence of seed borne disease of the harvested grain through analysis in the laboratory (Research)Objective 2. Evaluate the effect of aerated steam treatments and organic seed amendments using germination studies and ISTA seed testing protocols on seed borne foliar and head blight pathogens of wheat and barley (Research).Objective 3. Design, validate, and demonstrate a rapid RT-PCR assay for loose smut of wheat (Research).Objective 4. Educate farmers, seed producers, and agricultural professionals on the identification of wheat and barley diseases in the field, the importance of identifying contaminated seed lots, and the methods for organically treating contaminated grains (Extension).