Technical Bulletin – 3 October 2019

• Sowing is continuing with growers 30 per cent (Wimmera) – 70 per cent (Mallee) through their program.
• Insect pressure is starting to increase and is requiring monitoring.
• Slugs are still causing concerns in known problem areas.
• Growers are looking for rain in the next week with surfaces now drying quickly.
• Some in-season sprays have commenced in early crops such as canola.

• Some modest rainfall tallies received across western Victoria last weekend with hopes for more rain on ANZAC day
• Generally, growers have continued with their original sowing plans and made small modifications if required
• Conscious of high reliance on IMI tolerant crops in rotations, some Mallee farmers have made varietal changes eg CoAXium® barley to make use of Group 1 herbicides for grass control, where residues from the prior crop allow.

• Urea applications are still occurring. Growers will need to prioritise areas of need with supply getting tighter as the season remains wet.
• Slugs have been reported further north than other years, new regions are having issues with this pest.
• Crop growth seems slow and crops are struggling to grow away from persistent pests like lucerne flea.
• Diseases are starting to be reported and monitored for management plans including Ascochyta, cercospera and powdery mildew.
• Staggered crop growth is likely to cause management issues for a while yet, including windrow timing in canola

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.