News Corn Diseases
OMAFRA: 2023 DON levels higher than 10-year average

OMAFRA field crop specialists, in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association, have completed the annual Ontario corn ear mould and DON mycotoxin survey. Corn ear moulds, such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins, occur every year in Ontario. These mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON, also referred to as vomitoxin) are produced primarily by Gibberella/Fusarium ear moulds and can be disruptive when fed to livestock, especially hogs. The 2023 survey found 77 per cent of samples tested low (<2.00 parts per million (ppm)) for DON. This is lower than the 10-year average of 88 per cent, but better than recent higher-testing years of 2016 and 2018. |READ MORE