Soilborne Pathogen Identification and Management Strategies for Winter Cereals

Commencing in 2020, Riverine Plains has partnered with grower groups in NSW, South Australia, Victoria and WA in a national GRDC-funded project to assist growers learn about the major diseases of cereals caused by soilborne pathogens.

The project, Soilborne Pathogen Identification and Management Strategies for Winter Cereals, is led by FarmLink Research.

The project will:
•Provide hands-on workshops in 2021 to help growers learn about the typical symptoms of cereal root diseases and strategies for their management;
•Establish demonstration trials of root disease management strategies in 2021; and
•Assess the impact of various management approaches in the following season for on-going impacts of management strategies.

The workshops will provide training in examining plant roots and diagnosing the likely pathogens present, using real examples of plants brought by growers to the workshops. Workshops were planned for 2020, however COVID-19 restrictions have meant these have now been rescheduled for 2021.

The Soilborne pathogens project will also provide growers and advisers with an online resource to learn about sampling plants and examining roots to identify symptoms of infection by the various root pathogens.

The project will establish demonstration trials in 2021 to examine management practices to counter pathogen infection and disease development. There will also be field events for growers and advisers to inspect and evaluate management of the various diseases and measure impacts on yield and profit.