New resources to tackle major cereal diseases
4th February 2020
AHDB has launched a suite of new resources including tools, videos, web pages and publications, in a bid to strengthen its cereal disease management guidance for 2020.
The news follows the decision to move cereals and oilseeds information to a new website, which will cover all content generated by the organisation. It also unveiled plans to update the industry on the status of cereal pathogen populations in the UK.
AHDB’s ‘Wheat and barley disease management guide’, plus the associated web pages, aim to provide the in-depth information needed to tackle major diseases through integrated pest management (IPM).
Complementing the AHDB Encyclopaedia of cereal diseases, the new guidance highlights disease risk factors and provides management solutions at a glance. Target disease web pages go into more detail by exploring hosts, life cycles and symptoms, and bring together developments in non-chemical and chemical control – including fungicide performance data and tips for designing fungicide programmes.
Catherine Harries, who manages disease research at AHDB said: “Our industry embraces digital solutions. In the fast-paced world of crop protection, this is good news. When chemistry is lost, fungicide resistance rears its head or varietal resistance is overcome, we can adapt our guidance accordingly.”
Later this year, AHDB said it plans to issue a Recommended Lists app to ensure the latest varietal information is always at farmers’ fingertips. The data for 2020/21 was launched alongside an online variety selection tool.
Last year, the winter wheat disease ratings for yellow and brown rust were released online ahead of the full RL, following reports of higher-than-expected disease levels during the 2018/19 growing season. Varietal resistance was, however, in line with recent years and no major changes occurred in resistance rating.
AHDB says an analysis of wheat samples gathered during the 2018-19 season will provide a clearer picture as to whether a shift has occurred in UK yellow and brown rust populations. The latest situation will be outlined at the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey stakeholder event, which takes place in Cambridgeshire on 4thMarch.
