Technical Bulletin No 9. 26.8.2021

• Insect activity is increasing under favourable conditions, though few cases have reached economic thresholds for control.
• Low levels of stripe rust are being detected across Western Victoria, however growers with robust programs that included fungicide at sowing are reporting little to no evidence of foliar disease.
• Low GSR deciles, frosts in early September and favourable prices have growers considering cutting crops for hay instead of harvesting for grain.
• Preparations for harvest are underway.

• Recent rainfall has kept growers busy applying nitrogen, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides.
• Low levels of stripe rust have been detected in the Mallee. Low levels of scald and spot form of net blotch in barley in the Wimmera and low levels of Septoria in wheat in the Wimmera and Mallee.
• In the Mallee, the window for nitrogen applications to boost yield is closing as cereal crops move into ear emergence. In the Wimmera, cereals range from late tillering through to stem elongation and flag leaf emergence, while canola is at early flowering in many districts.
• Low levels of insect activity are also being reported, including locusts in the Mallee, lucerne flea and redlegged earth mite (RLEM) in the Wimmera, cowpea aphids and blue green aphids in vetch, and lucerne leaf roller, RLEM and cowpea aphids in the North Central region.

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB): BCG released a special technical bulletin in January 2023, on seed quality and testing seed following the wet spring of 2022. Fusarium Head Blight (Fusarium pseudograminearum) (FHB) was an issue for some due the conditions during flowering and grain fill however don’t underestimate the impact stripe rust which may have been a major contributor to poor grain quality.