NABSEN

North American Barley Scab Evaluation Nursery

Barley production in the Midwestern U.S. and Prairie provinces of Canada is severely threatened by the decades long issue of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and contamination of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). The malt barley industry is particularly impacted by FHB with tolerances for DON below 0.5 ppm. The mandate to address breeding FHB resistance in barley was initiated in 2002 when the first uniform field trial nurseries were established giving rise to the North American Barley Evaluation Nursery (NABSEN). For the past 18 years and counting, NABSEN has provided coordination and insights necessary for malt barley breeders to select for high levels of resistance against FHB and DON in their germplasm. Elite barley lines are planted each year from university cooperators and industry partners. Five misted nurseries comprising NABSEN are located in the state of North Dakota, Minnesota, and the Canadian province of Manitoba providing a broad range of barley growing regions.

NABSEN Coordinator

Abraham Hangamaisho

I am a graduate of Master of Science in plant science of South Dakota State University, currently working as a research specialist here at North Dakota State University, responsible for conducting and developing protocols for performing applied plant pathology research on important diseases found in barley in North Dakota, coordination, processing data and reports for the North American Scab Evaluation Nursery (NABSEN).