Western Australia’s elevated rust risk for 2006 wheat crops must be managed and budgeted for across the whole cropping program according to wheatbelt cropping expert Geoff Fosbery.

Mr Fosbery, of Farm Focus Consultants Northam, said while high reserves of soil moisture in low rainfall areas would provide good cropping opportunities, farmers needed to be wary of the potential for serious rust outbreaks.

“Success of the wheat sector is pivotal to overall farm profitability in most low to medium rainfall areas, so evaluating the risk of a rust outbreak and having disease management tactics planned must be a key focus of growers agronomic and financial strategies,” he said.

“Rust management strategies must take into account the full length of the season and be able to respond quickly to outbreaks.”

Mr Fosbery said green paddocks of self sown wheat that was highly susceptible to stripe rust, like Westonia, should be sprayed out and dead by Anzac Day to reduce local carryover of rust as well as deter aphids and nematodes.

Many popular varieties lack high level resistance to rust diseases, and growers may need presowing fungicide protection as part of an integrated management strategy.  Developing a rust strategy is vital to protecting profits and minimising risks through the season.

“A good rule of thumb is to estimate how much of the wheat program you can spray within 5 to 6 days of a rust outbreak,” Mr Fosbery said.

“Any wheat with less than a moderate rust resistance rating not covered within that time should be protected early in the season to delay rust onset and buy time for rust management in spring. 

“Early season protection can be achieved at seeding with long acting seed dressing or in-furrow fungicide.  Alternatively, plan to spray unprotected crops 6-8 weeks after seeding with fungicide.”

Mr Fosbery said growers also needed to budget for in-crop spraying later in spring if required for rusts and other leaf diseases, especially as this was often the period of greatest seasonal debt.

Department of Agriculture researcher Geoff Thomas said southern growers this year were also watching out for the possibility of stem rust which had been found on volunteer cereal throughout the Esperance region and also near Gnowangerup.

“If we have a wet spring, stem rust could occur in other areas on a range of popular varieties,” Mr Thomas said.

“It is important to be aware of the resistance status of current varieties so that the rust risk can be assessed ahead of the season and planned for accordingly.”

He said growers in high risk areas of the central, eastern and south eastern wheatbelt should omit or reduce sowings of highly susceptible varieties such as Westonia, Bonnie Rock, H45 and Brookton.