Crown Rot (Fusarium graminearum) control will be a key focus at this years BCG ‘From surviving to thriving’ Grains Research Expo to be held on Thursday 2 July 2009.

Many farmers across the region are finding the incidence of Crown Rot increasing, particularly in paddocks that have had a strong cereal based rotation. With cereal based rotations likely to continue across the Wimmera Mallee it will be important for farmers to find out more about the disease and understand how it can be managed in their systems. Crown Rot can result in grain losses of up to 50% and more in crops where the season and rotation have allowed the disease to build up.

DPI Horsham Plant Pathology group will have a stand at the BCG Grains Research Expo and are keen for farmers to come and see them to discuss any problems or plant disease issues they may have. Dr. Margaret Evans, the premium Crown Rot researcher from SARDI, is also coming over from South Australia with specimens, plates and factsheets for farmers to look at.

As well as Crown Rot, DPI researchers Dr. Grant Holloway and Dr. Frank Henry will be on site to discuss other disease issues such as Stripe rust, Stem rust, Take-all, Rhizoctonia, Cereal cyst nematode and other diseases that may be of interest to farmers. The team promise to have many disease samples and information on site to help farmers identify various diseases and develop control strategies. The DPI Plant Pathology team are encouraging farmers to bring to the Expo any crop plants that they may suspect are showing early sign of disease.

Crown Rot: note the pink fungal growth