“Given the wet conditions, and the outlook for a wetter than average couple of months ahead, growers and advisers are encouraged to inspect and monitor crops closely for diseases.
“Proactive disease management with fungicide is warranted under these conditions to avoid crop losses.”
Stripe rust has been found in many wheat crops in the Mallee and Wimmera, a good month to two months before it would normally be detected. It can be controlled with a well-timed fungicide application soon after detection, with a follow-up application four to five weeks later, if needed.
“Stripe rust and powdery mildew are most damaging in seasons like this when they appear early. In such seasons, timely fungicide sprays are required in at-risk varieties,” Dr McLean said.
Agriculture Victoria senior pulse pathologist Joshua Fanning said farmers should also monitor pulse crops for Ascochyta blight.
“Ascochyta blight can result in reduced grain yield and quality if it is uncontrolled and conducive disease conditions continue,” Dr Fanning said.
“The early infection of Ascochyta blight in pulse crops will result in a higher chance of pod infection later in the season if rainfall continues.
“This can lead to seed discolouration, sometimes resulting in discounted prices or grain being rejected by some buyers,.”
Botrytis grey mould, also known as chocolate spot, has been reported in bean, lentil and vetch crops. It can develop rapidly given the right weather conditions and requires early intervention to minimise damage to crops.
“We’re encouraging growers to be alert to evidence of these diseases emerging earlier in the season than usual, to check the disease ratings of their varieties, and to take action to avoid crop losses or damage.”
Further information on these and other field crop diseases can be found in the online Identification and Management of Field Crop Diseases in Victoria manual. The 2022 cereal and pulse disease guides are also available on the Agriculture Victoria website.
DISEASE GUIDES BY THE EBOOK
The Agriculture Victoria Crop Disease Guides are being piloted as eBooks.
Agriculture Victoria’s Luise Fanning said the annual guides, produced with support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, detailed how resistant or susceptible new and commonly grown cereal and pulse varieties were to a range of crop diseases.
“Launching the guides as an eBook will improve their accessibility, making it easier for growers and agronomists to keep up to date with the latest information,” Ms Fanning said.
“This will ensure the grains industry has access to high-quality information that is available offline.
“By using Apple Books as a platform, we can push out updates directly to users, reducing the chance that they will be using out-of-date ratings.
“This is particularly important for grain growers and their advisers who may operate in areas with limited internet connectivity.
“Disease resistance ratings can change over time, so this information needs to be consistently reviewed and updated and this new platform allows us to make those updates quicker.”
Ms Fanning said the guides would be available as an eBook to download from the Agriculture Victoria website.
Android users can download a copy of the eBook from the Agriculture Victoria website at: https://go.vic.gov.au/ihRoNc
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