| Researcher(s) |
Nick Poole Darcy Warren |
|---|---|
| Year(s) | 2021 - 2022 |
| Contributor | Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia |
| Trial location(s) |
Millicent, SA
Hagley, TAS Gnarwarre, VIC |
The project established, assessed and demonstrated a research programme that has resulted in the demonstration of best management IDM practices for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region HRZ.
In South Australia and Victoria, RGT Cesario showed greater resistance to STB and demonstrated smaller yield differences due to the number of fungicide treatments applied. In Tasmania, Anapurna demonstrated intermediate resistance to STB and greater resistance to stripe rust in the early developmental stages with resultant higher yields as a result.
RGT Accroc and Revenue showed a much greater yield response to fungicides than Anapurna and RGT Cesario regardless of site, year, or starting disease pressure, illustrating that genetic resistance to STB was the best tool for reducing fungicide input costs. However, high yields could still be achieved with RGT Accroc, but only with very high fungicide use.
The IDM approach based on two units of fungicide at first - second node (GS31) and flag leaf (GS39) consistently performed slightly poorer than the 4 fungicide program, but this difference was rarely significant in terms of disease pressure or yield, except occasionally with susceptible cultivars, very high disease pressure and higher overall yields. The best result for the 4 unit fungicide program was in very high yielding environments where highly susceptible varieties were being managed for high disease pressure. While the IDM approach has held up well over the two years of this trial, the trial demonstrated that cultivars such as RGT Cesario and Anapurna only have a finite lifespan of genetic resistance to disease (STB resistance of Anapurna declining over the course of the project and RGT Accroc and RGT Cesario showing susceptibility to stripe rust for the first time in 2022).
The economic analysis in appendix iv. informs the following section. In 2021, RGT Cesario had no significant yield difference between fungicide treatments and therefore the gross margins likely declined as greater amounts of fungicides were applied. In 2022, the untreated RGT Cesario did have significantly lower yields than any of the other fungicide treatments that would have justified the use of 1-2 units of fungicides in Millicent and Hagley. The difference on the mainland between untreated RGT Cesario and full protection was 0.97t/ha in Millicent and 1.35t/ha in Gnarwarre. The increase in yield at Gnarwarre with RGT Cesario would have justified using 4 fungicides and did increase the net margins over the untreated, however yields were not significantly different from the 2 unit IDM approach at any site. Therefore overall, the IDM approach is likely to be the best economically viable for RGT Cesario.
Revenue and RGT Accroc had larger responses to fungicide in both years which were greater than the 0.32t/ha required to break even financially when using a full fungicide protection program based on 4 units of fungicide. Fully protected RGT Accroc was the highest yielding variety (6.94t/ha) at Gnarwarre in 2022 that showcased its potential when protected from disease. While this was not the case in other states, there can still be an economic case made for using RGT Accroc in preference to other germplasm if it’s well protected. Revenue responded strongly to fungicide but performed more poorly than all other varieties regardless of the site or the treatment use. The genetic yield potential and resistance of Revenue makes it a weak candidate for variety selection. Anapurna in 2022 was the highest yielding variety (11.12t/ha) at the Hagley site and gave a significant yield response to a full fungicide over the IDM approach in each disease starting point scenario. In contrast, Anapurna performed poorer than RGT Accroc in both Hagley and Gnarwarre in 2021 when stripe rust was not a factor in the trials. Anapurna has lower yield potential than RGT Cesario but its
performance in 2022 held up more strongly relative to other cultivars making it still good candidate to be considered, particularly in Tasmania and SE SA.
The use of flutriafol for STB control did not significantly improve the yield over the standard stubble (untreated with flutriafol) at any site. The long growing season in the high rainfall zone reduced the efficacy of flutriafol treated MAP as the effect of the active ingredient declines at earlier development stages (GS31 – GS33) before the flag leaf develops. However, where stripe rust control
is required flutriafol is key ingredient. In some trials, infected stubble did reduce yield and increased disease pressure relative to the Flutriafol and standard stubble treatments and also illustrated greater yield responses to subsequent follow up foliar fungicides illustrating that wheat on wheat rotation positions potentially increase STB disease pressure.
| Lead research organisation |
Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia |
|---|---|
| Host research organisation | N/A |
| Trial funding source | GRDC FAR2004-002SAX |
| Related program |
FAR Hyper Yielding Crops 2020-2022 |
| Acknowledgments | N/A |
| Other trial partners | Not specified |
| Crop type | Cereal (Grain): Wheat |
|---|---|
| Treatment type(s) |
|
| Trial type | Experimental |
| Trial design | Randomised,Replicated,Blocked |
| Sow rate or Target density | 180 seeds/m2 |
|---|---|
| Sowing machinery |
Tine plot seeder |
| Sow date | 21 April 2021 |
| Harvest date | January 2022 |
| Plot size | 12m x 2.02m |
| Plot replication | 4 |
| Fungicide |
Please see trial report for treatment details |
| Seed treatment | As per treatment list |
| Tillage | Tillage method: Tine |
| Other trial notes |
The project trialled and demonstrated to growers and their adviser’s fungicide management strategies for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region High Rainfall Zone (HRZ). The research was conducted in the HRZs of three states Tasmania (North Midlands), Southern Victoria (Gnarwarre) and South Australia (Millicent). |
| Sow rate or Target density | 180 seeds/m2 |
|---|---|
| Sowing machinery |
Tine plot seeder |
| Sow date | 21 April 2022 |
| Harvest date | January 2023 |
| Plot size | 12m x 2.02m |
| Plot replication | 4 |
| Fungicide |
Please see trial report for treatment details |
| Seed treatment | As per treatment list |
| Tillage | Tillage method: Tine |
| Other trial notes |
The project trialled and demonstrated to growers and their adviser’s fungicide management strategies for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region High Rainfall Zone (HRZ). The research was conducted in the HRZs of three states Tasmania (North Midlands), Southern Victoria (Gnarwarre) and South Australia (Millicent). |
| Sow rate or Target density | 200 seeds/m2 |
|---|---|
| Sowing machinery | Not specified |
| Sow date | 29 April 2021 |
| Harvest date | January 2022 |
| Plot size | 11m x 1.8m |
| Plot replication | 4 |
| Fungicide |
Please see trial report for details |
| Seed treatment | As per treatment list |
| Tillage | Tillage method: Tyne |
| Other trial notes |
The project trialled and demonstrated to growers and their adviser’s fungicide management strategies for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region High Rainfall Zone (HRZ). The research was conducted in the HRZs of three states Tasmania (North Midlands), Southern Victoria (Gnarwarre) and South Australia (Millicent). |
| Sow rate or Target density | 200 seeds/m2 |
|---|---|
| Sowing machinery |
Seeder: PJ Green Plot Tyne Seeder |
| Sow date | 27 April 2022 |
| Harvest date | February 2022 |
| Plot size | 13m x 1.8m |
| Plot replication | 4 |
| Fungicide |
Please see trial report for treatment details |
| Seed treatment | As per treatment list |
| Tillage | Tillage method: Tyne |
| Other trial notes |
The project trialled and demonstrated to growers and their adviser’s fungicide management strategies for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region High Rainfall Zone (HRZ). The research was conducted in the HRZs of three states Tasmania (North Midlands), Southern Victoria (Gnarwarre) and South Australia (Millicent). |
| Sow rate or Target density | 200 seeds/m2 |
|---|---|
| Sowing machinery |
Tine plot seeder |
| Sow date | 27 April 2021 |
| Harvest date | January 2022 |
| Plot size | 10m x 2.03m |
| Plot replication | 4 |
| Fungicide |
Please see trial report for treatment details |
| Seed treatment | As per treatment list |
| Tillage | Tillage method: Tine |
| Other trial notes |
The project trialled and demonstrated to growers and their adviser’s fungicide management strategies for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region High Rainfall Zone (HRZ). The research was conducted in the HRZs of three states Tasmania (North Midlands), Southern Victoria (Gnarwarre) and South Australia (Millicent). |
| Sow rate or Target density | 180 seeds/m2 |
|---|---|
| Sowing machinery |
Tine plot seeder |
| Sow date | 28 April 2022 |
| Harvest date | January 2023 |
| Plot size | 10m x 2.03m |
| Plot replication | 4 |
| Fungicide |
Please see trial report for treatment details |
| Seed treatment | As per treatment list |
| Tillage | Tillage method: Tine |
| Other trial notes |
The project trialled and demonstrated to growers and their adviser’s fungicide management strategies for the control of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the southern region High Rainfall Zone (HRZ). The research was conducted in the HRZs of three states Tasmania (North Midlands), Southern Victoria (Gnarwarre) and South Australia (Millicent). |
SILO weather estimates sourced from https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/
Jeffrey, S.J., Carter, J.O., Moodie, K.B. and Beswick, A.R. (2001). Using spatial interpolation to construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data , Environmental Modelling and Software, Vol 16/4, pp 309-330. DOI: 10.1016/S1364-8152(01)00008-1.
Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR)
Some crop varieties used in research trials may be covered by Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR). Users should confirm PBR status of relevant varieties by searching the IP Australia PBR database, http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/pbr_db/ or Variety Central (http://varietycentral.com.au/) and contacting variety owners for further information if required. Where possible, varieties have been listed according to their registered PBR name, although OFT cannot and does not guarantee that the information is accurate or complete.
Note that PBR cover is administered through the Plant Breeders’ Right Act 1994 (