Australia
May 8, 2015

Reports commissioned by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) indicate that the annual cost of oilseed and pulse diseases in Australia is more than $210 million.

GRDC plant health surveillance and mitigation manager Sharyn Taylor said diseases such as sclerotinia stem rot and blackleg were on the rise across Australian canola growing regions as an increasing number of wheat growers incorporated canola within rotations.

“However, managing diseases of oilseeds and pulses at the right time can substantially reduce their impact, thereby improving the role of these crops as profitable breaks within rotations,” Dr Taylor said.

A new GRDC publication outlines the three-pronged approach being taken by the GRDC to:

• Develop oilseed and pulse varieties with greater resistance to foliar fungal diseases
• Keep abreast of fungal disease dynamics across the GRDC cropping regions
• Develop and extend management packages to control foliar fungal diseases on-farm and prolong the useful life of Australia’s limited fungicide options

The Foliar Fungal Diseases of Pulses and Oilseeds supplement can be downloaded at www.grdc.com.au/GCS116 and was included in the May-June edition of the GRDC magazine Ground Cover.

To subscribe to Ground Cover visit www.grdc.com.au/groundcover.
 

Website: http://www.grdc.com.au

Published: May 8, 2015