PestFacts WA

Barley and wheat disease update

Barley leaf rust

• Gibson
• Esperance

Barley leaf rust. Photo courtesy of: Andrea Hills (DPIRD)

Plant pathologist Andrea Hills (DPIRD) has reported finding barley leaf rust (BLR) on Oxford, Flinders, Maltstar and Granger plants at a DPIRD trial site near Gibson. The plants are at the stem elongation stage. The La Trobe barley at this trial was not showing any rust. Very low levels of Spot-type net blotch (STNB) were present and the barley varieties Granger and Flinders were also displaying signs of physiological leaf spotting, which is expressed when plants are under stress.

Esperance agronomists have also reported that Oxford barley crops in the Esperance area are also being affected by BLR.

For more information on BLR and how to manage it refer to the department’s Diagnosing barley leaf rust page and the 2017 PestFax newsletter Issue 4 Barley and wheat leaf rust warning for 2017 article.

Barley net blotches

• Cadoux
• Yerecoin
• Tammin
• Brookton

Spot-type net blotch on barley

David Stead (Anasazi Agronomy) reports seeing both forms of net blotch in stressed barley crops, particularly the varieties La Trobe, Scope, Spartacus and Bass, across his advisory district that encompasses the shires within Cadoux to Yerecoin and Tammin to Brookton. The barley plants are at end of tillering. Growers will spray fungicide in combination with herbicides when spraying wild radish.

For further information on symptoms and management of blotches see the department’s Managing spot type net blotch in continuous barley and Managing net-type net blotch of barley in Western Australia pages.

Wheat leaf rust

• Condingup

Wheat leaf rust pustules

Local Esperance agronomists have reported about low levels of wheat leaf rust (WLR) in a crop of Mace in the eastern area of the district.

For more information on WLR see the department’s Diagnosing leaf rust of wheat and the 2017 PestFax Issue 12 newsletter article Leaf rust in wheat.

Wheat powdery mildew

• Coomalbidgup

Powdery mildew on wheat leaves. Photo courtesy of: Ciara Beard (DPIRD)

Local Esperance agronomists have reported of wheat powdery mildew in crops in the very high rainfall areas of the district. Affected crops include Mace and very early sown Trojan.

For more information refer to the department’s Managing powdery mildew in wheat.

For the latest information on managing barley diseases refer to the 2017 PestFax Issue 10 Barley disease update and current management recommendations article.

Barley and wheat foliar fungicide information can be found at DAFWA’s Registered foliar fungicides for cereals in Western Australia.

For more information contact Kithsiri Jayasena, Plant Pathologist, Albany on +61 (0)8 9892 8477, Geoff Thomas, Plant Pathologist, South Perth on +61 (0)8 9368 3262, Andrea Hills, Plant Pathologist, Esperance on +61 (0)8 9083 1144 or Ciara Beard, Plant Pathologist, Geraldton on +61 (0)8 9956 8504.