Achieving high levels of disease control and maintaining margins despite fungicide resistance is vital for all growers. The HGCA 'Wheat disease management - 2004 update' has been produced to help farmers achieve this.
"It is very important that the seriousness of resistance is recognised by growers," said Professor Graham Jellis, HGCA's director of research. "There is no room for complacency about the significance of strobilurin-resistant Septoria tritici, even though last season disease levels were low in many parts of the UK."
"Yield loss from poor control would have been much higher last year if the weather had been conducive to disease development earlier in the season," he warned.
In the east and south-east of England, disease pressure from Septoria was generally low throughout the 2003 season. In most crops disease remained at low levels until quite late in the season, with Septoria only appearing on upper leaves in July.
However, in some areas, particularly south-west England and southern Ireland, disease pressure from Septoria was very high and disease control very poor. Delays in fungicide timing or low doses contributed to this but the high levels of strobilurin resistance in Septoria tritici was also an important factor.
"Growers should limit the area sown to Septoria-susceptible varieties to reduce disease risk on their farms," said Professor Jellis. "Using a formulated or tank mixture of strobilurin and triazole helps protect against further resistance development and make control more reliable."
"Strategies must be adopted to prevent resistance or reduce its rate of development and so prolong the effective life of current fungicides. Growers can find out the latest results from HGCA-funded disease control experiments in the new 2004 update. The update provides independent information on choosing appropriate products and using mixtures to achieve good disease control, yield, quality and so profitability."
