Calcium cyanamide is a nitrogenous fertilizer used predominantly for over a century in field and glasshouse vegetable and salad production. The current review draws together, for the first time, knowledge concerning the biological properties of the compound that benefit crop production by encouraging sustainable soil health and quality. This is achieved through the increase of microorganisms antagonistic to plant pathogens. The review also reports on the natural occurence and degradation of cyanamide. The literature survey provides a perspective of research from the early 1900s to current studies. This identifies that nitrogen is released steadily into the rhizosphere from this fertilizer. Calcium is also readily available for plant roots and promotes the alkaline soil conditions beneficial to benign microorganisms. Consequently, soil suppressiveness towards organisms such as Plasmodiophora brassicae, the cause of clubroot disease in brassicas, develops. The effects of calcium and accompanying changes in soil pH values are discussed in relation to the life-cycle stages of P. brassicae and the development of clubroot disease. Formulations of calcium cyanamide contain the dimeric form, dicyandiamide. This compound slows soil nitrification and subsequent nitrate leaching into ground waters, reducing potential pollution. Calcium cyanamide is normally used for growing specialized fresh produce and is not available in quantities comparable with ammoniacal fertilizers. It is contended, however, that it has properties deserving wider assessment because of their implications for sustainable cropping.

Palm oil (PO) is a very important commodity used as food, in pharmaceuticals, for cooking and as biodiesel: PO is a major contributor to the economies of many countries, especially Indonesia and Malaysia. Novel tropical regions are being explored increasingly to grow oil palm as current land decreases, whilst recent published modelling studies by the current authors for Malaysia and Indonesia indicate that the climate will become less suitable. Countries that grow the crop commercially include those in Latin America, Africa and Asia. How will climate change (CC) affect the ability to grow oil palm in these countries? Worldwide projections for apt climate were made using Climex software in the present paper and the global area with unsuitable climate was assessed to increase by 6%, whilst highly suitable climate (HSC) decreased by 22% by 2050. The suitability decreases are dramatic by 2100 suggesting regions totally unsuitable for growing OP, which are currently appropriate: the global area with unsuitable climate increased from 154 to 169 million km2 and HSC decreased from 17 to 4 million km2. This second assessment of Indonesia and Malaysia confirmed the original findings by the current authors of large decreases in suitability. Many parts of Latin America and Africa were dramatically decreased: reductions in HSC for Brazil, Columbia and Nigeria are projected to be 119 000, 35 and 1 from 5 000 000, 219 and 69 km2, respectively. However, increases in aptness were observed in 2050 for Paraguay and Madagascar (HSC increases were 90 and 41%, respectively), which were maintained until 2100 (95 and 45%, respectively). Lesser or transient increases were seen for a few other countries. Hot, dry and cold climate stresses upon oil palm for all regions are also provided. These results have negative implications for growing oil palm in countries as: (a) alternatives to Malaysia and Indonesia or (b) economic resources per se. The inability to grow oil palm may assist in amelioration of CC, although the situation is complex. Data suggest a moderate movement of apposite climate towards the poles as previously predicted.

The effects of soil variability on regional crop yield under projected climate change are largely unknown. In Southeastern Norway, increased temperature and precipitation are projected for the mid-21st century. Crop simulation models in combination with scaling techniques can be used to determine the regional pattern of crop yield. In the present paper, the CSM-CROPSIM-CERES-Wheat model was applied to simulate regional spring wheat yield for Akershus and Østfold counties in Southeastern Norway. Prior to the simulations, parameters in the CSM-CROPSIM-CERES-Wheat model were calibrated for the spring wheat cvars Zebra, Demonstrant and Bjarne, using cultivar trial data from Southeastern Norway and site-specific weather and soil information. Weather input data for regional yield simulations represented the climate in 1961–1990 and projections of the climate in 2046–2065. The latter were based on four Global Climate Models and greenhouse gas emission scenario A1B in the IPCC 4th Assessment Report. Data on regional soil particle size distribution, water-holding characteristics and organic matter data were obtained from a database. To determine the simulated grain yield sensitivity to soil input, the number of soil profiles used to describe the soilscape in the region varied from 76 to 16, 5 and 1. The soils in the different descriptions were selected by arranging them into groups according to similarities in physical characteristics and taking the soil in each group occupying the largest area in the region to represent other soils in that group. The simulated grain yields were higher under all four projected future climate scenarios than the corresponding average yields in the baseline conditions. On average across the region, there were mostly non-significant differences in grain yield between the soil extrapolations for all cultivars and climate projections. However, for sub-regions grain yield varied by up to 20% between soil extrapolations. These results indicate how projected climate change could affect spring wheat yield given the assumed simulated conditions for a region with similar climate and soil conditions to many other cereal production regions in Northern Europe. The results also provide useful information about how soil input data could be handled in regional crop yield determinations under these conditions.

Winter hardiness of wheat is a complex trait involving a system of structural, regulatory and developmental genes, which interact in a complex pathway. The objective of the present work was to study the relationship among the main traits determining the level of adaptation and the possibility for target manipulation of breeding material by using molecular markers and phenological parameters. Wheat cultivars from different ecoclimatic environments of Europe were included for analysis. Gene-specific assay showed that photoperiod sensitivity of the studied cultivars was determined by polymorphism in the Ppd-D1 allele. The study established the relationship among winter hardiness, LT50 (the temperature at which 50% of plants are killed), photoperiod sensitivity, vernalization duration and earliness per se genes in the environment of Lithuania. The cultivars from Northern and Western Europe exhibited stronger requirement for vernalization and photoperiod. Although the group of cultivars from the southern latitudes were characterized by earliness, they possessed a stronger level of LT50. The level of LT50 was found to be the most crucial component of winter hardiness, the other traits served as supplementary components.

The optimization of management practices for oats is hindered by a lack of knowledge of the critical phenological phases at which management should be focussed. The objective of the present review was to identify the yield-limiting phases in the growth of the oat crop in order to optimize management and to maximize yield. The methodology employed was to identify characteristics associated with either the pre-anthesis grain number determination phase or with the post-anthesis grain filling phase. Characteristics associated with the pre-anthesis phase were identified as a positive linear relationship between yield and grain number, in addition to insensitivity of grain weight to changes in assimilate supply. Characteristics associated with the post-anthesis grain filling phase were identified as an absence of a relationship between yield and sink size (grain number) and changes in grain weight in response to changes in assimilate supply. Data was taken from published literature. Yields of both winter- and spring-sown hulled oats increased linearly with grain number showing a strong influence of grain number on yield. Grain weight of both winter- and spring-hulled oats, however, decreased with increasing grain number suggesting that competition for assimilates may exist at high grain number. Further evidence of the influence of assimilate supply on grain yield was obtained from several studies which showed that yield increased with leaf area duration as well as from studies where grain weight was found to decrease after reductions in assimilate supply per grain, whereas grain weight increased when assimilate supply to grain was increased. Oat crops also feature a grain abortion mechanism when assimilate supply is constrained. Yield of naked oats increased with grain number before reaching a plateau, a trend which suggests source limitation at high grain numbers. The available evidence suggests that yield is primarily determined by grain number determination but that grain yield is also potentially limited by assimilate availability in the post-anthesis period. It is recommended that crop management strategies for oats should aim both to increase grain number in the pre-anthesis period but also prolong the grain filling period after anthesis. Such a post-anthesis strategy should both reduce the possibility of yield being limited by assimilate availability and compensate for the production of smaller grains at higher grain numbers.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume for human consumption. Drought stress is the major abiotic stress limitation of bean yields in smallholder farming systems worldwide. The current work aimed to determine the role of enhanced photosynthate mobilization to improve adaptation to intermittent and terminal drought stress and to identify a few key adaptive traits that can be used for developing drought-resistant genotypes. Field studies were conducted over three seasons at Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, Palmira, Colombia to determine genotypic differences in adaptation to intermittent (two seasons) and terminal (one season) drought stress compared with irrigated conditions. A set of 36 genotypes, including 33 common bean, two wild bean and one cowpea were evaluated using a 6 × 6 lattice design under irrigated and rainfed field conditions. Three common bean elite lines (NCB 226, SEN 56, SER 125) were identified with superior levels of adaptation to both intermittent and terminal drought stress conditions. The greater performance of these lines under drought stress was associated with their ability to remobilize photosynthate to increase grain yield based on higher values of harvest index, pod harvest index, leaf area index and canopy biomass. Two wild bean germplasm accessions (G 19902, G 24390) showed very poor adaptation to both types of drought stress. One small-seeded black line (NCB 226) was superior in combining greater values of canopy biomass with greater ability to mobilize photosynthates to grain under both types of drought stress. Two small-seeded red lines (SER 78, SER 125) seem to combine the desirable traits of enhanced mobilization of photosynthates to seed with effective use of water through canopy cooling under terminal drought stress. Pod harvest index showed significant positive association with grain yield under both types of drought stress and this trait can be used by breeders as an additional selection method to grain yield in evaluation of breeding populations for both types of drought stress.

Experiments were carried out to determine methane (CH4) consumption in different soil (vertisol) aggregates under elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2) and temperature. Soil aggregates of <0·25 mm diameter (microaggregates), 0·25–1 mm diameter (mesoaggregates) and 1–2 mm diameter (macroaggregates) were incubated under different CO2 (400, 800 and 1200 µm/m or ppm CO2) and temperature (25, 35 and 45 °C) conditions. Methane consumption was high in mesoaggregates and low in microaggregates under ambient CO2 and temperature (25 °C). However, eCO2 and temperature significantly inhibited CH4 consumption and decreased culturable microbial numbers. Methane consumption in mesoaggregates was inhibited by 21–66% at 800–1200 ppm of CO2. Principal component analysis designated soil aggregate size as the most important component of variation, followed by temperature and CO2. Ordination biplot indicated eCO2 and temperature impacted negatively on CH4 consumption and culturable methanotrophs. Results highlighted that mesoaggregates of 0·25–1·00 mm are hotspots for CH4 consumption and that rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature may inhibit CH4 consumption significantly in a tropical vertisol.

Knowledge of different fractions and availability of boron (B) is essential while studying the response of crops to B. Fractionation provides information about the chemistry of B and quantifies its bioavailability. Such information is potentially valuable for predicting bioavailability, B leaching, dynamics, transformation between chemical forms in soils and environmental impacts. Total B (T-B) is quantified into five fractions: readily soluble (Rs-B), specifically adsorbed (Spa-B), oxide bound (Ox-B), organically bound (Org-B) and residual B (Res-B). Of these, Rs-B is the fraction present in soil solution and adsorbed weakly by soil particles, and is most readily available for plant uptake. It accounts for 1–2% of T-B. The second most plant available form is Spa-B; it may be adsorbed onto clay surfaces or associated with organic matter (OM) in soil. The remaining fractions, Ox-B, Org-B and Res-B, are unavailable for plant uptake. The major portion (generally 87·4–99·7%) of T-B is composed of Res-B. Overall, the relative proportion of B in various fractions is in the order of Res B > Org-B > Spa-B > Rs-B > Ox-B. Several factors such as soil pH, soil OM, clay minerals, iron and aluminium oxides and calcium carbonate content may change the relative proportion of B in various fractions and the transformations among different soil B fractions. Some of the B fractions are correlated with others and exhibit responses in terms of plant growth. Non-specifically adsorbed (Nsa-B) and Spa-B are positively and significantly correlated to some sub-fractions of Ox-B, such as B occluded in manganese oxyhydroxides (Moh-B). The most readily available forms of B for plants are Nsa-B, Spa-B and Moh-B.

Several species of Heteroptera are responsible for kernel damage in wheat, Triticum aestivum L. (Poaceae), which affects bread-making quality. In Europe, the most noxious bugs belong to the genera Eurygaster (Scutelleridae) and Aelia (Pentatomidae). In the present work, five bug species frequently found in wheat fields in north-western Italy, Eurygaster maura, E. austriaca, Aelia acuminata, Nezara viridula and Carpocoris purpureipennis, were tested in field trials for their capacity to induce wheat damage. The sodium dodecyl sulphate sedimentation volume test was used as the qualitative control. Among the bug species tested, E. maura was the most noxious pest, with C. purpureipennis being almost as noxious as E. maura. In contrast, E. austriaca and A. acuminata, which have been considered the wheat pests of major importance, as well as N. viridula, caused no or only moderate damage to wheat quality. The adoption of an antiserum specifically produced with E. maura salivary glands proved to be effective and specific in detecting bug damage. Therefore, this polyclonal antibody is promising for the development of a reliable test for the quick evaluation of commercial wheat flour batches.

The mountain ecosystem of the Central Himalayan Region is known for its diversity of crops and their wild relatives. In spite of adverse climatic conditions, this region is endowed with a rich diversity of millets. Hence, the aim of the present study was to explore, collect, conserve and evaluate the diversity of barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea) to find out the extent of diversity available in different traits and the traits responsible for abiotic stress tolerance, and to identify trait-specific accessions for crop improvement and also for the cultivation of millets in the region as well as in other similar agro-ecological regions. A total of 178 accessions were collected and evaluated for a range of morpho-physiological and biochemical traits. Significant variability was noted in days to 50% flowering, days to 80% maturity, 1000 seed weight and yield potential of the germplasm. These traits are considered to be crucial for tailoring new varieties for different agro-climatic conditions. Variations in biochemical traits such as lipid peroxidation (0·552–7·421 nmol malondialdehyde formed/mg protein/h), total glutathione (105·270–423·630 mmol/g fresh weight) and total ascorbate (4·980–9·880 mmol/g fresh weight) content indicate the potential of collected germplasm for abiotic stress tolerance. Principal component analysis also indicated that yield, superoxide dismutase activity, plant height, days to 50% flowering, catalase activity and glutathione content are suitable traits for screening large populations of millet and selection of suitable germplasm for crop improvement and cultivation. Trait-specific accessions identified in the present study could be useful in crop improvement programmes, climate-resilient agriculture and improving food security in areas with limited resources.

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important cash crop in many countries, including Saudi Arabia. Understanding the likely potential distribution of this crop under current and future climate scenarios will enable environmental managers to prepare appropriate strategies to manage the changes. In the current study, the simulation model CLIMEX was used to develop a niche model to estimate the impacts of climate change on the current and future potential distribution of date palm. Two global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO-Mk3·0 and MIROC-H under the A2 emission scenario for 2050 and 2100, were used to assess the impacts of climate change. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify which model parameters had the most effect on date palm distribution. Further refinements of the potential distributions were performed through the integration of six non-climatic parameters in a geographic information system. Areas containing suitable soil taxonomy, soil texture, soil salinity, land use, landform and slopes of <7° for date palm were selected as suitable refining variables in order to achieve more realistic models. The results from both GCMs exhibited a significant reduction in climatic suitability for date palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia by 2100. Climate sensitivity analysis indicates that the lower optimal soil moisture, cold stress temperature threshold and wet stress threshold parameters had the most effect on sensitivity, while other parameters were moderately sensitive or insensitive to change. The study also demonstrated that the inclusion of non-climatic parameters with CLIMEX outputs increased the explanatory power of the models. Such models can provide early warning scenarios for how environmental managers should respond to changes in the distribution of the date palm in Saudi Arabia.

A liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method for determination of clothianidin in brown rice, straw, rice hull, paddy water and paddy sediment was developed and residue levels were determined in the different components. The limit of quantification was set at 0·01 mg/kg for the matrices studied. Clothianidin degradation in straw, paddy water and soil was studied, and clothianidin residues in brown rice, straw, hull and paddy soil were determined. Concurrent recoveries were between 85·6 and 92·5%, with relative standard deviations ranging from 1·3 to 6·8% at three fortification levels between 0·01 and 5·0 mg/kg. The half-lives in straw, paddy water and paddy sediment were found to be 1·9–4·9, 4·1–5·0 and 4·9–6·3 days, respectively. The maximum residues in brown rice, straw, hull and paddy soil samples were 0·38, 1·88, 1·38 and 0·14 mg/kg, respectively.

A field experiment was conducted to quantify changes in soil aggregation and aggregate-associated soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration 1, 3, 5 and 10 years after abandoned, salinized land in the Manasi River Basin was reclaimed for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Results showed that reclamation significantly increased SOC concentrations and SOC stocks. Specifically, 10 years of cotton production increased SOC concentrations by 45% in the 0–60 cm depth and SOC stocks by 35%. The SOC concentrations and stocks decreased as soil depth increased. Reclamation time, season and soil depth had significant interaction effects on SOC. The SOC concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with available soil nitrogen and available soil phosphorus. Compared with abandoned farmland, macro-aggregate-associated (>250 µm) SOC concentrations in the 0–60 cm depth increased by 47% after 5 years of cotton production and by 53% after 10 years of cotton production. The contribution of macro-aggregate-associated SOC to total SOC in the 0–60 cm depth increased by 87% after 5 years of cotton production and by 69% after 10 years of cotton production. The findings indicate that soil aggregates were more stable after abandoned, salinized farmland was reclaimed for cotton production. Furthermore, cotton production can increase SOC concentrations and sequester C in this arid area.

Studies on climate impacts and related adaptation strategies are becoming increasingly important to counteract the negative impacts of climate change. In Ethiopia, climate change is likely to affect crop yields negatively and therefore food security. However, quantitative evidence is lacking about the ability of farm-level adaptation options to offset the negative impacts of climate change and to improve food security. The MarkSim Global Climate Model weather generator was used to generate projected daily rainfall and temperature data originally taken from the ECHAM5 general circulation model and ensemble mean of six models under high (A2) and low (B1) emission scenarios. The FAO AquaCrop model was validated and subsequently used to predict maize yields and explore three adaptation options: supplemental irrigation (SI), increasing plant density and changing sowing date. The maximum level of maize yield was obtained when the second level of supplemental irrigation (SI2), which is the application of irrigation water when the soil water depletion reached 75% of the total available water in the root zone, is combined with 30 000 plants/ha plant density. It was also found that SI has a marginal effect in good rainfall years but using 94–111 mm of SI can avoid total crop failure in drought years. Hence, SI is a promising option to bridge dry spells and improve food security in the Rift Valley dry lands of Ethiopia. Expected longer dry spells during the shorter rainy season (Belg) in the future are likely to further reduce maize yield. This predicted lower maize production is only partly compensated by the expected increase in CO2 concentration. However, shifting the sowing period of maize from the current Belg season (mostly April or May) to the first month of the longer rainy season (Kiremt) (June) can offset the predicted yield reduction. In general, the present study showed that climate change will occur and, without adaptation, will have negative effects. Use of SI and shifting sowing dates are viable options for adapting to the changes, stabilizing or increasing yield and therefore improving food security for the future.

The hull or husk of rice, comprising the lemma and palea, provides a fitting enclosure for the caryopsis. The physiological significance of the hull in seed dormancy has been examined by comparing the effects of its removal on germination, seed vigour, assimilate mobilization and ethylene production in germinating seeds of six rice genotypes; two each belonging to dormant, semi-dormant and non-dormant groups. Hull removal promoted the above parameters in all three categories of seeds, but the effect was relatively higher in dormant seeds compared with less dormant categories. Ethylene production in non-dormant seeds was initiated after imbibition of water, normally before visible emergence of the radicle. It peaked when the radicle began to protrude and declined thereafter. In comparison, dormant seeds produced very low levels of ethylene during germination; however, hull removal resulted in a dramatic rise in its production. Overall, ethylene evolution at the radicle protrusion stage correlated negatively with germination time. It was concluded that ethylene production starts with breaking of the caryopsis coat and peaks when the radicle ruptures it completely, at the stage of radicle visible emergence. Removal of the hull facilitates germination and ethylene production can be a good indicator for the progress of germination.

The present study was initiated to investigate the effect of crude plant extracts as seed treatments on Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) and Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) seed germination and emergence in the presence of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and Colletotrichum dematium, respectively. Common bean and cowpea seeds were treated with crude water and acetone extracts of Agapanthus caulescens Spreng., Allium sativum L., Carica papaya L. and Syzygium cordatum Hochst.ex Krauss at 5 and 15 mg/ml concentrations. Seeds treated with the synthetic fungicide fludioxonil+mefenoxam (the commercial product Celest® XL) represented the positive control, whereas dimethyl sulphoxide and water-soaked seeds represented negative controls. The rolled paper towel method of the International Seed Testing Association was used to investigate the effect of the treatments on seed germination. Mean emergence time (MET) was determined using seed inoculated with the respective pathogens. The changes in the ultrastructure of embryonic roots and the connecting tissues of embryo-cotyledon of common bean and cowpea treated with Syzygium acetone extracts and Agapanthus water extracts were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High germination percentages of >90% were observed in bean seeds from two production seasons treated with low concentrations of water extracts of Allium, Syzygium and Agapanthus and acetone extracts of Allium, Agapanthus and Carica. These treatments also recorded high emergence percentages with low MET values, which were similar to the water control. Cowpea seeds treated with Carica water extract had the highest germination and emergence. Syzygium acetone was the only extract that gave higher germination and emergence in both IT93K5132 and PAN 311 varieties. Therefore, Carica water and Syzygium acetone extracts can be considered as potential bean and cowpea seed treatments. Generally, there were inconsistencies in terms of correlations of germination with emergence percentages in both cowpea and bean seed treated with plant extracts used in the study, which could be due to differences in vigour. The TEM study of embryo-cotyledon tissue of both species revealed that Syzygium and Agapanthus extract seed treatment may accelerate metabolic processes as evidenced by the presence of vacuoles, many cristae and few lipid bodies.

Flour whiteness (FW) is an important factor in assessing flour quality and determining the end product quality. It is an integrated sensory indicator reflecting flour colour and is negatively correlated with protein content. In order to dissect the genetic relationship between FW and its five related traits at the quantitative trait locus (QTL)/gene level, a recombinant inbred line population was evaluated under three environments. Quantitative trait loci for FW were analysed by unconditional and conditional QTL mapping. Four unconditional additive QTLs and 16 conditional additive QTLs were detected across the three environments. Of these QTLs, only one major additive QTL (Qfw1D1-1) was consistently identified using both unconditional and conditional QTL analysis. This QTL was independent of flour colour a* (a function of red-green with a positive a* for redness and negative for greenness) and b* (a green-blue value with positive value for yellowness and negative for blueness) and was only slightly affected by flour protein content. A minor additive QTL (Qfw4A-4) was also detected using these two QTL mapping methods, being independent of flour colour a* and b*. Five unconditional and ten conditional epistatic minor QTLs were detected, from which only one pair (Qfw3A-10/Qfw6B-6) was identified by both unconditional and conditional QTL mapping, also independent of flour colour a* and b*. The major QTL (Qfw1D1-1) identified in the current study for the first time can be used for improving wheat FW in marker-assisted breeding.

Cash-constrained farmers who cannot afford herbicides and mineral fertilizers may incorporate green manure cover crops (GMCCs) as relay crops to aid in management of weeds and nitrogen in maize systems under conservation agriculture in cases where rotations are a challenge. An experiment was conducted at two sites with contrasting soil types, University of Zimbabwe farm (clay) and Domboshawa Training Centre (sandy) to investigate the effects of maize/velvet bean intercropping at 8 weeks after planting maize (WAPM), applying different fertilizer rates and exploring their interactive effects on weed composition, maize productivity and biomass production [total maize non-cob biomass (stover) plus GMCC biomass]. The performance of the system depended largely on the amount of rainfall received within and across the seasons, sites and their interaction; also on the amount of fertilizer applied. Generally, biomass yields attained by velvet bean [Mucuna pruriens L. (DC.)] were lower than reported previously. Maize grain yield and weed diversity were higher in treatments with higher fertilizer rates, reaching up to 5·1 t/ha and 1·39, respectively. Generally, the highest weed diversity and highest maize grain yield values were observed in maize/velvet bean combinations and higher fertilizer rates (i.e. 0·27 and 4·8 t/ha, respectively) in the sandy soil. Higher fertilizer rates resulted in greater maize stover yield and this contributed greatly to the biomass productivity of the system in the sandy soil in the 2012/13 season, while the high biomass productivity observed in velvet bean in the clay site in the final season contributed significantly to productivity. Maize productivity was not affected by velvet bean introduced at 8 WAPM in any of the seasons. The present study showed that relay cropping velvet bean as late as 8 WAPM and onwards has potential to increase biomass production without compromising maize yields. However, planting it as late as 8 WAPM results in reduced productivity due to reduced moisture availability.

Cereals are of major importance in human and animal nutrition, and the mycotoxin content is of great health and economic concern for the food sector and consumers. In Europe, Fusarium graminearum (FG) is the prevalent Fusarium species leading to Fusarium head blight on small grain cereals and contamination of grains by its main mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). The present study assessed the costs of preventive agronomic measures to reduce the risk of DON contamination in wheat besides the use of fungicides. The abatement costs were calculated by linking actual data on wheat production costs and profits with assessments of DON contents based on results of the forecast model FusaProg for the period 2005–2011. Analysis revealed that ploughing was a relatively efficient measure to reduce DON risk compared with modifying crop rotation or growing a more FG-resistant wheat variety. Given a threshold value of 1·25 mg DON/kg wheat, a reduction of 0·1 mg DON was related to additional production costs of at least 2·5%. These economic findings are of relevance for farmers and policy makers in order to define sustainable production systems enabling both a high level of food safety and reducing the use of plant protection products.