A Quantitative Review of Tebuconazole Effect on Fusarium Head Blight and Deoxynivalenol Content in Wheat

ABSTRACT A meta-analysis of the effect of tebuconazole (e.g., Folicur 3.6F) on Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol (DON) content of wheat grain was performed using data collected from uniform fungicide trials (UFTs) conducted at multiple locations across U.S. wheat-growing regions. Response ratios (mean disease and DON levels from tebuconazole-treated plots, divided by mean disease and DON levels from untreated check plots) were calculated for each of 139 studies for tebuconazole effect on Fusarium head blight index (IND; field or plot-level disease severity, i.e., mean proportion of diseased spikelets per spike) and 101 studies for tebuconazole effect on DON contamination of harvested grain. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on the log-transformed ratios, and the estimated mean log ratios were transformed to estimate the mean (expected) percent control for IND ( CIND ) and DON ( CDON). A mixed effects meta-analysis was then done to determine the effects of wheat type (spring versus winter ...