'Fusarium' Articles

Below is an excerpt from "Demand Grows for Vomitoxin Cleaning Services" by Brian Cross of the Western Producer. For the full article visit the Western Producer Online

With fusarium graminearum and its toxic vomitoxin sidekick deoxynivalenol (DON) stealing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars a year from Canadian farm revenues, the thought of paying toll processors to clean up commercial grain deliveries is gaining momentum.

Mitch Flaman, operations manager with Flaman Grain Cleaning and Handling, said a lot of growers mistakenly assume that a sample with little or no FDK should easily meet industry standards or contract specs for vomitoxin. However, removing FDK does not guarantee that vomitoxin levels are also being lowered. Flaman said it’s critically important to know what you have in your bin and what you’re trying to remove from a sample....

It seems everybody is forecasting a great crop this year!  Now, we can't control the weather, but we can protect the crop from things like fusarium, otherwise it's value will quickly decline.

With the recent warm and wet weather, the fusarium risk is growing in Saskatchewan and ongoing in Manitoba.  Today's risk maps reveal the situation:






So, here are some handy charts to help you assess the risk and plan your spray:






This spraying requires the safe and accurate handling of chemical, and Flaman has what you need to do this.
 

The newest technology being brought to the Canadian agriculture industry has benefits for everyone. BoMill, a Swedish company, offers a management solution to the fusarium problem that’s been a growing concern in Western Canada. The BoMill TriQ is a grain sorter that sorts wheat, durum, and barley by protein, vitreousness, and fusarium. Sheldon Ball, the sorter specialist at Flaman, says, “It’s the only product we’re aware of that sorts individual kernels by fusarium.” BoMill increases the accuracy of other processes by analyzing the chemical make-up of kernels, not just the colour, and it does it by individual kernel, instead of in a batch.

WHY BOTHER?
FUSARIUM
Fusarium is a fungus that produces mycotoxins during the infection process. Mycotoxins are toxic and are not destroyed during processing such as milling, baking, malting, or ethanol production.*  The BoMill TriQ grain quality sorter will sort the yields and improve the quality for a top selling dollar. More importantly, the sorted yield will be a safer product for final consumption.

VITREOUSNESS
The TriQ is also an excellent tool to clean grain for seed. Its patented technology (read about the NIT below) analyzes the ability a kernel has for germination, or its vitreousness. By setting a fraction to sort by vitreousness, you can get a yield that is 100% capable of germination. Talk about bumper crop potential!

HOW IT’S DONE – FEATURES OF THE BOMILL TRIQ
NIT Technology
NIT (Near Infrared Transmission) Technology is a patented sensory system that utilizes infrared light to test the chemical make up of a kernel. This new technology, found only in the BoMill IQ and TriQ products, allows kernels to be sorted according to their germination capabilities (vitreousness), fusarium, and protein content. This technology is capable of yielded a 100% vitreous output, which translates to guaranteed better yield if used for seed. It also means healthier product for consumption by people and animals.

Individual Kernel Analysis
Although other machines exist that focus on individual kernel sorting, such as color sorting, this is the first machine that sorts individual kernels by fusarium. Other methods will take a batch of grain and sort by weight, making heavier and lighter kernels separate to the top and bottom. This is a good method, however the individual kernel analysis yields a higher accuracy.

Wireless Monitoring
The graphical user interface makes it possible to control the sorting using any device with a browser, such as a PC, tablet, or smartphone. Due to its user-friendly design, it makes the training sessions intuitive and time efficient.

WHERE CAN YOU LEARN MORE?
Flaman Grain Cleaning is the licensed dealer in Canada for BoMill’s grain sorters. “With Flaman as our Distributor in Canada we will have a strong partner,” says Karin Wehlin, CEO BoMill AB. “Flaman’s long presence in the grain cleaning market and know-how as well as established service organization is important for our future”. You can contact one of Flaman’s staff members to get more information by email or by calling 1-888-435-2626. You can also visit the product page for the BoMill TriQ and IQ products.

*Website: https://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/fusarium-head-blight
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