With improved conditions in some areas of central, southern and northern NSW, growers keen to ensure crops remain vigorous and healthy have been advised to get the correct diagnosis before spraying fungicide.
Continuing wet weather has been great for winter cereal production this season, but it has also provided ideal conditions for leaf diseases such as stripe rust, yellow spot and net blotches.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Senior Research Scientist Dr Steven Simpfendorfer said agronomists and growers should monitor crops for potential appearance of leaf diseases and check the underlying cause of discoloured leaves.
“Already stripe rust has been reported to DPI pathologists in early sown wheat crops near Young, Forbes and Boggabri,” Dr Simpfendorfer said.
Samples analysed and confirmed as stripe rust have been submitted to the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program to assist with early detection of potential new pathotypes and monitoring of disease spread.
NSW DPI can assist with ensuring correct diagnosis so growers can rapidly rule out if the leaf symptoms are not related to disease and avoid unnecessary application of fungicides.
