Western Australia
August 31, 2012
Research into wheat rhizoctonia bare-patch is providing growers with options to minimise yield losses from the disease.
Rhizoctonia bare-patch is a major problem across all of Western Australia’s grain growing regions, estimated to cost growers between one and five percent in wheat yield.
Department of Agriculture and Food research officer Daniel Huberli said the research was important as Australia currently has only one registered fungicide for use on seed to suppress the disease rather than control it.
The research is funded by the department, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Syngenta and Bayer.
“Current management practice is for deep cultivation below the seed in combination with the registered fungicide seed dressing in direct drilled crops,” Dr Huberli (photo) said.
“Ensuring adequate nutrition for healthy and strong plant growth can also contribute to reduce levels of disease on the crop.
“We have conducted three field trials since 2010 to determine the impact of cultivation and the current seed treatment on rhizoctonia bare-patch soil inoculum levels.”
Trials also tested the current recommended treatment, the use of new fungicides and the influence of crop rotation.
“At this stage, the results support the recommendation to growers that in paddocks with a history of rhizoctonia bare-patch, they should use cultivation below the seed and a registered fungicide. Using either canola as a break crop, or fallow, may be useful after growing cereals,” he said.
“In South Australia, it has been shown that canola and other non-grass species can reduce the inoculum level prior to sowing cereals. We hope that we will be able to see the same results here in Western Australia.”
More details of the research findings will be presented at the Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium to be held at The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle from Tuesday 18 September (www.ASDS7.org).
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