News section

home  |  news  |  solutions  |  forum  |  careers  |  calendar  |  yellow pages  |  advertise  |  contacts

 

Moves to cut high rust risk in Western Australia
South Perth, Western Australia
March 10, 2006

Western Australia’s wheat growers are being urged to control the ‘green bridge’ of self-sown wheat in the lead up to seeding or face a high risk of rust disease in 2006 crops.

Each year around St Patrick’s Day, the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia provides a regional assessment of potential rust risk based on the prevalence of summer rain and subsequent green regrowth.

Department plant pathologist Robert Loughman said the 2006 cropping season was potentially the worst for rust risk in many years as a result of significant rainfall received in the wheatbelt over recent months.

“Recent significant rainfall in eastern and south eastern wheatbelt areas has emphasised the need for careful planning ahead of the cropping season,” Dr Loughman said.

“Massive areas of self-sown wheat arising from January rains have benefited from rainfall in early March.  Added to that, previously dry areas will now turn green and there is a risk they will link up with existing areas of self sown wheat.”

Dr Loughman urged growers to refer to last year’s paddock records to help identify and manage their high-risk paddocks for green bridge situations. 

“By focusing on the paddocks most likely to be at risk, strategic green bridge management can help reduce the risk of local rust carry-over and considerably delay the onset of infection in next season’s crops,” he said.

“The best strategy to reduce the rust risk is to target rust susceptible green bridge paddocks early with a non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate.

“For those growers with additional capacity to control a higher proportion of volunteer plants on their property, there will be an even greater benefit.”

Dr Loughman said paddocks carrying self-sown Westonia, H45, Arrino and Bonnie Rock would sustain stripe rust infections more readily than other varieties, making them the highest priority.

Less susceptible varieties, with Crop Variety Testing (CVT) ratings of 4, 5 and 6, possessed partial resistance and were less prone to infection during older growth stages.

Dr Loughman said the use of herbicide strategies to kill volunteer wheat and starve developing rust infections would help maximise stored soil moisture, improve weed control and prevent build-up of cereal aphids and nematodes.

He said paddocks coming out of wheat that were intended for a fallow or pasture in 2006 should also be reviewed and those carrying the most susceptible varieties also targeted to reduce rust carry-over.

For detailed information, growers could access the ‘Plant disease forecast 2006’ from the website at www.agric.wa.gov.au

News release

Other news from this source

15,141

Back to main news page

The news release or news item on this page is copyright © 2006 by the organization where it originated.
The content of the SeedQuest website is copyright © 1992-2006 by SeedQuest - All rights reserved
Fair Use Notice