The severity of disease in wheat crops depends on the presence of inoculum carried over from last season, favourability of seasonal conditions, pathotype virulence and varietal susceptibility. In planning which variety to grow or how to manage the variety that has been chosen, it is important to review the current disease resistance ratings. Being aware of disease risks to a crop allows for appropriate planning and proactive management to reduce risk of yield losses.
An annual review of your crops disease resistance ratings is vital as disease risk profiles change with the introduction of new pathotypes. For example, incursions of new leaf rust pathotypes in 2015 and 2017 significantly changed leaf ratings of several varieties.
The attached documents provide the updated ratings as at October 2022.
The Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN)
A rapidly developing issue for the Australian grains industry is development of fungicide resistance in a range of wheat and barley pathogens. Using good Integrated Disease Management (IDM) approaches, including varietal disease resistance, can help reduce reliance on fungicides for disease management. More information on fungicide resistance is available from The Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the co-investment of the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.