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The Department of Agriculture, Western Australia is working with Licensees of EGA Eagle Rock to inform growers that summer produced seed of EGA Eagle Rock may contain a very low presence of a Fusarium fungal species called Fusarium culmorum.

Department Plant Industries Executive Director David Bowran said that in other parts of the world this species is recognised as one of the complex of Fusarium species that can cause head blight of cereals.

“Fusarium culmorum is known to be present in Western Australia as well as in South Eastern Australia, where it may cause foot rot and crown rot of cereals.  The disease generally has very little impact in Western Australia.” Dr Bowran said.

While not a disease of quarantine significance, the Department is working with industry to define potential management needs and responses to Fusarium diseases in general.

Seed of EGA Eagle Rock available for planting in 2005 was produced either as winter grown seed crops in 2004, or summer grown seed crops in 2004/05. All 2004 winter grown seed sold in the lead up to this season had no detectable level of Fusarium infection (any species) despite having the Fusarium culmorum present at a low level from the summer bulk-up of 2003/04.

Testing has recently been completed on summer grown seed from 2003/04 and 2004/05 including commercial seed representing lots 05CW276, 05CW280, 05CW281 and 05CW282.  Again, no Fusarium graminearum, the main cause of head blight, has been detected.

However the seed did have a low presence of a species identified as Fusarium culmorum.

Dr Bowran said that the fungus was present at a low level (two per cent) and seed has been subsequently graded and fungicide treated, so the potential of subsequent head infection is considered to be very low.

“The testing followed increased awareness of the species Fusarium graminearum following the first outbreak of that disease in Western Australia in 2004” Dr Bowran said.

However based on the evidence from the 2004 winter production, Fusarium culmorum is not expected to carry over to seed from 2005 crops.

Background on EGA Eagle Rock in PDF format:
- http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/IKMP/FCP/CER/WH/V/EAGLEROCKFN.PDF