Grains Research and Development Corporation: free barley disease forum to be held in Albany

An upcoming grower forum in Albany on July 26 will equip grain growers in WA’s high rainfall zones with tools and information to combat disease outbreaks in barley, which have been widespread in recent seasons.

Environmental conditions have been optimal for the development and outbreak of significant disease, making growers’ implementation of effective management strategies difficult.

Barley is WA’s second largest cereal crop after wheat, accounting for 30 per cent of the State’s total cereal production in 2022.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation Barley Disease Forum will be co-ordinated by the Centre for Crop and Disease Management and Stirlings to Coast Farmers.

The forum will be held at the Retravision Stadium in Albany to provide information on the latest advancements in barley disease management and explore future opportunities for growers and advisers.

The free event will bring together experts from the CCDM, Australian Grain Technologies, InterGrain, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, ADAMA, Bayer and Syngenta as well as leading agronomists and growers.

CCDM director Mark Gibberd said CCDM had worked with growers from the Great Southern with the barley disease cohort project since 2019, creating a new understanding about both spot form and net form of net blotch and fungicide resistance.

“Our knowledge of fungicide resistance and the biology of the net blotch pathogens has increased remarkably,” he said.

“They are two of the most complex pathosystems that we work with.

“There are multiple mutations conferring fungicide resistance and pathogen populations have proven to be highly dynamic from year-to-year, paddock-to-paddock and even within the paddock.”

Prof. Gibberd said growing disease pressure last season was a wake-up call and a whole farming system approach was needed.

“We need combine our knowledge of host resistance, pathogen population, fungicide resistance and optimisation of fungicide strategy for the best chance of cost-effective control.” he said.

He said the forum would help to develop strategies and deploy tools for reducing barley disease.

The forum will explore three main areas for advancement — barley breeding, disease management (including fungicide resistance) and fungicides available for management.

A facilitated workshop will explore ‘where to next’ for barley growers and how industry members can come together to develop the solutions needed to improve disease management in the high rainfall zone of WA.

Stirlings to Coast chief executive Lizzie von Perger said the barley disease pressure experienced by farmer members was a key priority.

“The forum will be a great chance for grower, industry and researcher collaboration on this important topic, and to ensure future research is farmer-driven,” she said.

GRDC crop protection manager — west Georgia Megirian said the event into barley disease in the high rainfall zone would focus on the tools growers needed to manage disease in their crops, and how industry can best facilitate practice change.

“It’s a rare opportunity for growers and advisers to hear from breeders, chemical companies and leading plant pathologists, share information based on their own experiences on-farm, and examine new opportunities for disease management in barley,” Ms Megirian said.

To find out more or register for the event, visit GRDC events page or contact CCDM on (08) 9266 3346 or ccdm@curtin.edu.au.

Registration is free, but numbers are limited.