Australia
April 4, 2008
Northern grain growers are being
urged to consider strategic ‘at planting’ fungicide treatment as
part of a three-pronged strategy for combating cereal rust.
Richard Daniel, chief executive officer of the
Grains Research and Development
Corporation (GRDC)-funded Northern Grower Alliance (NGA)
said rust resistant cereal varieties, controlling the ‘green
bridge’ of volunteer plants and strategically using fungicide
seed, or fertiliser, treatments were paramount in reducing the
early incidence of stripe rust.
“In recent years stripe rust has re-emerged as a disease of
significance across all Australian grain growing areas,” Mr
Daniel said.
“Plant breeding incorporating resistant germplasm represents the
most effective method of long term disease management, however
fungicides are an additional tool that will enable disease
management in varieties with lower rust resistance levels.”
Recent GRDC-supported research focused on examining the crop
safety, length of efficacy and economic benefit available from
fungicide seed treatment for early stripe rust control under
northern conditions.
The aim was to validate 2005 NSW Department of Primary
Industries (NSW DPI) results and generate additional data to
enable improved advice for regional stripe rust management.
The research, in both 2006 and 2007, showed seed treatment can
still provide useful suppression of stripe rust in the variety
Lang , more than twelve weeks after planting.
Mr Daniel said plant establishment data showed good crop safety
levels from the fungicide seed treatment used under a range of
northern conditions in both years, which supported results from
other regions.
“The use of ‘at planting’ fungicides will be a valuable risk
management tool in situations of moderate to high stripe rust
risk, or where logistics make timely foliar fungicide
application difficult or impractical,” he said.
“However it is important to stress that the use of fungicides at
planting alone is unlikely to provide sufficient protection in
years with high stripe rust pressure or where very susceptible
varieties are grown.’
Mr Daniel said under these conditions additional foliar
protection may be warranted. |
|
