Technical Bulletin – 19 July 2017

• Monitoring, seed germination and emergence remain the top priorities for most growers across western Victoria.
• Growers are assessing plant densities of any emerged crops, particularly canola, and adjusting their yield potential expectations.
• After watering germination test areas, some Wimmera growers have elected to re-sow some canola paddocks because less than 5plants/m² could be found.
• With some rain on the forecast this weekend, growers are taking a positive and prepared approach to potential next steps for crop management, particularly regarding inputs for nutrition, pest and weed control.
• Lamb prices are expected to remain strong through spring.

• Cereals are at stem elongation, some canola is flowering and pulses are still growing slowly.
• Net form net blotch (NFNB) and Septoria are present in barley and wheat respectively. Fungicide plans are being actioned where risk is greatest. Stripe rust has also been detected in other regions, but this is 2-3 months later than last year in commercial crops.
• Red leather leaf is present in oats and prothioconazole applications are occurring.
• Drier weather has seen the disease threat lessen a little for diseases that like cool wet conditions, but there is still a need to be vigilant.
• Preparation for grain storage is commencing with thought going into grain hygiene and silo bag needs.

In the northern Mallee, reports of Etiella and Heliothis may create more activity in the coming days and weeks. For the southern Mallee, most growers are looking for more rain to protect yield potential, and late fungicide sprays have gone out on wheat.

In the Wimmera (North, Central and West) soil moisture levels are good (explained later in this bulletin) and there are isolated reports of armyworm activity that warrant some monitoring, particularly in cereal on cereal rotations.

Some action points from recent BCG events: leave the fenceline and get out into your crops to assess for potential frost or heat stress damage, adjust your header set up ready for the coming months, succession planning is an ongoing process and farming is about decision making and we can only influence the quality of our decision making by acting more consciously on the best available knowledge.

• Recent rainfall across the region has provided a welcome boost to yield potential for 2025.
• Growers are finalising winter weed control programs.
• Cereal crops currently range from mid tillering to early stem elongation.
• Reports of stripe rust around Boort and Nullawil
• The BioScout unit installed at the BCG Main Site, Birchip has detected low levels of rust spores (see below).