By Scout Nelson
Fusarium head blight, also known as scab, is a growing concern in oat production, leading to grain contamination with deoxynivalenol (DON), a harmful mycotoxin. While commonly associated with wheat and barley, oat infections in 2024 raised concerns about marketability and livestock feed safety.
The FDA recommends a 1 ppm DON limit for oats intended for human consumption and a 5-ppm limit for livestock feed. However, different species tolerate DON at varying levels, making testing essential to determine the best grain usage.
Several commercial labs, including Midwest Laboratories and Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories, offer DON testing services.
Managing scab risk in oats with fungicides remains understudied, and field detection is difficult. In years with high scab incidence, post-harvest management is crucial to reducing DON concentrations. Testing grain samples helps determine appropriate usage, including blending strategies to lower DON levels to acceptable thresholds.
A 2024 study in southeast Minnesota explored post-harvest grain cleaning to remove DON-contaminated kernels. Researchers tested aspirators and Clipper seed cleaners but found limited success in reducing DON concentrations.
While removing lighter kernels slightly improved test weight and reduced DON levels, no clear relationship was established between cleanout levels and DON reduction.
Germination testing as a substitute for DON analysis proved inconclusive, reinforcing the need for laboratory testing before marketing or feeding oats. As research continues, future studies may explore fungicide effectiveness and improved post-harvest management to mitigate DON contamination in oats.
Photo Credits:gettyimages-giovanni1232
Categories: Minnesota, Crops, Wheat, Livestock