Crop Disease Podcast

In this episode, we've been able to dig a bit deeper into the situation of fungicide resistance in both spot form and net form net blotch in Southern WA, and work out why we are seeing such high levels of resistance to some of the Group 3 (DMI) fungicides in this region. CCDM's fungicide resistance expert Fran Lopez-Ruiz joins Megan Jones to explain why there is fungicide resistance in nearly every net blotch sample he receives from Southern WA, and how resistance can take off in seasons that are very conducive to disease, such as it was in 2022. Farmanco consultant Brent Pritchard also joins the show, sharing his results from the Barley Disease Cohort Project which saw 18 of his clients' barley paddocks assessed for fungicide resistance in both net blotches. Brent shares how the results made him feel and how changes were immediately applied to manage disease going forward. Fran also gives his take on the recent 2023 season, and his biggest discovery of the year as well as an overview of a new project that will improve the monitoring of fungicide resistance across Australia.Do you still need to get your ticket to the Crop Protection Forum in Adelaide on Wednesday, 6th December? Live-stream tickets are also available. Click here for more info. 

The 2023 season is headed to an end. So what could we have done differently in hindsight?  Along with CCDM’s Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones as she speaks to three advisors to find out the how the season ended up and what will they be recommending for 2024. We'll hear from:Monica Field, Farm and General, Esperance, on the challenges of the 2023 season, with plans to increase diversity in varieties as well as rotation going into 2024.Mick Faulkner, Agrilink Agricultural Consultants, Penwortham, SA, on his review of the season, discussing fungicide timing, and what he thinks will happen going into 2024.Fred Broughton, Rural Management Strategies, Cootamundra, NSW, on how disease has been a minor issue this season, and how managing nutrition and weeds in the summer will be important going into 2024.  Looking for a ticket to the Crop Protection Forum in Adelaide, 6 December? Hear from experts in herbicide, fungicide and insecticide resistance to get up to date in the latest management strategies. Get your ticket here. This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.Or read about all our podcast stories in CCDM's blog The Spotlight

What if we told you that you can now get a canola variety with some resistance to sclerotinia stem rot? Well, maybe not right now, but it's certainly possible in the near future.  At CCDM  we've discovered partially resistant germplasm in canola, and in this podcast, CCDM canola disease researchers Dr Mark Derbyshire and Dr Lars Kamphuis will be giving some hope to canola growers battling with sclerotinia.Also in this episode, AGT CEO Haydn Kuchel will talk about the latest in breeding resistant canola varieties, and DPIRD Research Scientist Ciara Beard will give some advice for managing sclerotinia in the paddock.As mentioned in the podcast, here is the link for the SclerotiniaCM app. Also, to watch our researchers explain their discovery in just two minutes on YouTube, click here.

Welcome to the future of agriculture, where everything is data-driven. Traditionally, farmers use a gut-feel to make decisions, but in the future, not any more. By using multiple data sets and computational techniques to extract insights, decision making just got a whole lot easier. The Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) was recently launched in August, and in this special edition of the Crop Disease Podcast, join Megan Jones as she talks to the new AAGI Director, Nathan O’Callaghan on this new initiative.CCDM Director Mark Gibberd and CCDM Development Manager for Research Innovation Julia Easton also join the show and give insights into how AAGI will give Australian growers an opportunity to be world leaders in analytics-driven decision making.An example of an AAGI project will be discussed with AAGI data analyst Jordan Brown, who is currently working on a project with grower groups to make legume crops a viable break crop option for their systems. AAGI is a co-investment between GRDC, Curtin University, University of Queensland, and University of Adelaide. For more information on AAGI, click here. For more information on CCDM, visit ccdm.com.au 

The 2023 season is headed towards harvest, and there’s definitely a mixed bag of some good and some not-so-good going on across the country. But what’s going on where? That’s where we come in. Along with CCDM’s Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones as she speaks to four agronomists/advisors in late August to find out the current issues of the season and the next management strategy to think about. We'll hear from:Tessa Dimond, AGnVET Rural, St George, QLD, on the dry year so far, and with that, the low disease risk. But also on the importance of keeping up good agronomic practice and not becoming complacent. Fred Broughton, Rural Management Strategies, Cootamundra, NSW, on how the season is looking good, and how they’re now trying to work out whether or not to spray a final fungicide this season.  Mick Faulkner, Agrilink Agricultural Consultants, Penwortham, SA, gives a detailed rundown on what diseases are happening where, and discusses how low disease levels could be attributed to the good management of the green bridge earlier in the season. Monica Field, Farm and General, Esperance, WA, attributes the low disease levels to the weather pattens in the region, with some crops looking quite good, yet disease levels are still lower than expected. This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.Or read about all our podcast stories in CCDM's blog The Spotlight

The 2023 season is underway and there’s been a mixed bag of challenges already. But what’s going on where? That’s where we come in. Along with CCDM Director Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones as she speaks to four agronomists to find out the current issues of the season and the next management strategy to think about. We'll hear from:Tessa Dimond, AGnVET, St George, QLD, on the dry start so far and the importance of rotation and being vigilant on the back of a high pressure year. Fred Broughton, Rural Management Strategies, Cootamundra, NSW, on the good start to the season so far and playing it by ear for the next six weeks given the dry forecast predicted.  Mick Faulkner, Agrilink Agricultural Consultants, Penwortham, SA, about the high expectation of stripe rust and septoria tritici blotch infections as well as managing nitrogen levels in the coming weeks. Monica Field, Farm and General, Esperance, WA, on the shift in hectares from barley to more canola and wheat, and how the tightening of rotations could increase disease pressure this season. Mark also gives his perspective on the season so far and recommends if growers or advisors see any problems with unexpected fungicide failure to contact CCDM's fungicide resistance team at frg@curtin.edu.au, and he also recommends visiting the AFREN website for management advice at www.afren.com.au  This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.Or read about all our podcast stories in CCDM's blog The Spotlight

Variety resistance is often the first tool used by a grower to keep disease under control. But the science in this space needs to move with the changing pathogens, which are constantly mutating and getting around the crop’s defence system and, before long, we’re looking for the next more resistant crop to come from a breeding program. In this episode, hear from CCDM's barley disease researcher Simon Ellwood as he discusses the latest research in developing disease resistant barley, focusing on net form and spot form net blotch.Also, Tress Walmsley, CEO of Intergrain, talks about what they're focusing on to improve crop varieties for growers. If you have disease (either of the net blotches) on your barley crop that show unusually high virulence, Simon Ellwood would love a sample! Contact CCDM for a sampling kit at ccdm@curtin.edu.au 

In this episode, CCDM’s Fungicide Resistance expert Fran Lopez Ruiz talks about the big fungicide issues of 2022, and how to manage wheat powdery mildew with so few options available, thanks to fungicide resistance. Also on the show, Greg Condon from Grassroots Agronomy and WeedSmart talks about the big disease challenges in the NSW and Victorian regions in such a tricky year.For growers or agronomists wanting more information on how to manage wheat powdery mildew, Fran recommends visiting the AFREN Website: www.afren.com.auFor tickets and program information for the Crop Protection Forum in Wagga Wagga on 16 November, click here

Harvest is upon us, and as we get closer to the end of the season, crop diseases are becoming far less of a problem. What a great time to reflect on how disease management went!Along with CCDM Director Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones for the third time this season as she speaks to three agronomists and a pathologist from various grain growing regions on how they think the season went, and what could have been done better. We’ll hear from: Dan Talyor, DKT Rural Agencies, Central Wheatbelt, WA, about how he will manage wheat powdery mildew  differently going into next season.Sam Holmes, Central Ag Solutions, Yorke Peninsula, SA, on how in hindsight he would have considered different wheat variety choices as well as more fungicide application. Greg Toomey, Nutrien Elmore, VIC, about managing diseases in crops with very high yield potential. Steven Simpfendorfer, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, NSW about the importance of fungicide timing and being more proactive in early management of disease to delay epidemics.Had fungicide failure on your oats lately, while trying to manage septoria? We want to hear about it. Contact CCDM at ccdm@curtin.edu.au, so we can arrange to get a sample.  This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

At CCDM, for the first time ever we recently discovered a gene in the fungal pathogen causing ascochyta blight that triggers disease resistance in lentils. Why is this something? Because this discovery has huge implications on the way growers will select their lentil varieties for maximum resistance in the near future. In this episode, CCDM researchers Lars Kamphuis and Bernadette Henares will tell us all about it. SARDI Pulse Pathologist Sara Blake also features on the show, with advice on how to manage ascochyta blight right now and for the rest of the season. Sara also mentions she is happy to be contacted for management or diagnostic advice, see contact details below. There’s also a call out for diseased lentil leaves, so if you have ascochyta blight on your lentils, please get in touch with your local state pulse pathologist:SA: Sara Blake, SARDI; Email: sara.blake@sa.gov.au; Phone: 8429 2248; Twitter: @Sara_N_BlakeVIC: Josh Fanning, Agriculture Victoria; Email: joshua.fanning@agriculture.vic.gov.au  Phone: 0419 272 075WA: Andrea Hills, DPIRD; Email: andrea.hills@dpird.wa.gov.au; Phone: 9083 1144 For more information: Bernadette Henares, CCDM; Email: Bernadette.henares@curtin.edu.au; Phone: 9266 3042 

We’re now getting towards the end of the 2022 season, and there’s been quite a bit of rain around the country. But with rain comes crop disease, and we’re seeing a number of disease management issues popping up everywhere. Along with CCDM’s Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones as she speaks to three agronomists and a pathologist, to find out the current issues of the season and the next management strategy to think about. We'll hear from:·        Steven Simpfendorfer, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, NSW about stripe rust and trusting in adult plant resistance in varieties, and the risk of a leaf rust epidemic. ·        Greg Toomey, Nutrien Elmore, VIC, about the diseases growers are dealing with and the next steps in nitrogen management for the season to continue on its trajectory. ·        Sam Holmes, Central Ag Solutions, Yorke Peninsula, SA, about a mixture of diseases, with cereal disease powdery mildew, septoria tritici blotch and net blotches causing some concern. ·        Dan Talyor, DKT Rural Agencies, Central Wheatbelt, about how the wheat powdery mildew he mentioned in the first update has progressed to concerning levels.This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

Canola - what a break crop! It can be so profitable. But no crop is perfect, and canola sure has its problems. One of them being Sclerotinia Stem Rot. In this podcast Megan Jones talks to CCDM sclerotinia researcher Dr Mark Derbyshire on his latest published research that confirms the pathogen causing sclerotina has the ability to infect more than 400 different plants. Mark talks about why this is not such a bad thing...Nutrien agronomist Kyran Brooks also features on the show, discussing management of the disease for the coming season in his region - in Great Southern WA, and why this disease is so difficult to manage.  

Are you wondering what others are up to around the country? How others are dealing with disease, pests, weeds or nutrition right now?Along with CCDM’s Fran Lopez-Ruiz, join Megan Jones as she speaks to three agronomists and a pathologist, to find out the current issues of the season and the next management strategy to think about. We'll hear from:Dan Talyor, DKT Rural Agencies, Central Wheatbelt, WA about powdery mildew in wheat at such an early stage in the season.Sam Holmes, Central Ag Solutions, Yorke Peninsula, SA, about septoria tritici blotch, net blotches and ascochyta blight sightings.Greg Toomey, Nutrien Elmore, VIC, about the importance of nitrogen application at the moment on the back of two good years, and a good outlook this season. Steven Simpfendorfer, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, NSW about the importance of getting the diagnosis of disease correct over nitrogen deficiency. This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.Or read about all our podcast stories in CCDM's blog The Spotlight

Have you ever heard of a lab-based Professor going out to the country and trying his hand at seeding?To learn more about the end-use of agrochemicals, CCDM’s Deputy Director Josh Mylne has given it a go, currently in the middle of a 12 day stint with farmer Clint Della Bosca out on the eastern fringe of the wheatbelt.In this podcast, Josh will give a quick run down on his seeding experience so far and how it will help his research in agrochemicals. Clint will also give an update on his seeding program, as well as his plans for the coming season.

ere at the Centre for Crop and Disease Management, we’ve been pretty good at identifying cases of fungicides resistance, and letting farmers know if they have it in the paddock. As good as this is, we’ve only been able to say if the resistant pathogen is present or absent, and not able to tell them how much is there, and what strategy will have the biggest impact in managing it... But we’re getting closer!In this podcast episode, CCDM researcher Noel Knight discusses his project into fungicide resistance frequencies, where he has been studying 20 barley paddocks in the WA wheatbelt, and has determined the exact percentage of fungicide resistant net blotch pathogens.Kellerberrin and Cunderdin agronomist Dan Taylor from DKT Rural Agencies also joins the show to give his perspective on the research and how this information could help growers improve their fungicide management strategies.

SDHI Resistance in South AustraliaDid you hear about the fungicide resistance discovery in the Yorke Peninsula last year? Net form net blotch (NFNB) of barley was declared fungicide resistant to the SDHI fungicide fluxapyroxad. In this episode, CCDM fungicide resistance researcher Fran Lopez-Ruiz joins Megan Jones as they discuss the situation, talking about why it happened, how to manage it, and how this can be prevented in other Australian regions. First up they talk to Central Ag Solutions agronomist Sam Holmes who was the first to notice an issue with fungicide control and to alert SARDI. Sam talks about the factors that likely led to the resistance problem, including barley on barley rotation, the same variety grown throughout the region, and early sowing. Next they talk to Tara Garrard, SARDI cereals pathologist who advises on the best way to manage resistance in the region, by avoiding SDHI fungicides, avoiding the more susceptible varieties, and avoiding a barley on barley rotation. In the podcast Fran comments further on the fungicide resistance discovery, and why Australian growers are at higher risk of developing resistance, due to the larger paddock sizes, the limited modes of actions that are available and also the tighter rotations of the same variety. This podcast can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spodify, Tune in, Pocketcasts and more, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

With 330 samples sent in during the 2019 season from 173 farmers, net blotch resistance in the South of the WA grainbelt is now less of a mystery.In the next Crop Disease Podcast, CCDM Director Mark Gibberd joins Megan Jones as they discuss the results from the Barley Disease Cohort Project, where about 15 per cent of samples carried the mutation associated with fungicide resistance – CYP51A F489L – which were widespread throughout the grainbelt. First up they talk to Grass Patch farmer Dan Sanderson, who sent in a few barley leaves in September last year, and received a negative result for the mutation. Dan talks about his disease management strategies and how the result will help him manage disease going forward. Next they talk to Chris Robinson, a Farmanco Agronomist based in Kojonup, to hear his take on the results and what his clients will do differently this season, including the application of an SDHI fungicide to the program if needed. Mark then finishes with some key recommendations for managing net blotch resistance, and the next steps for the project, which aims to provide economical, regionally relevant advice for growers managing fungicide resistance. This podcast can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spodify, Tune in, Pocketcasts and more, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

How is your 2020 season plan shaping up to be? In this episode CCDM farming systems economist Amir Abadi once again joins Megan Jones as they prepare growers for disease management in 2020, particularly for those who are coming from a drought or drier year. First up they talk to producer Ben Webb from Kojonup, WA, who has a mixed sheep and cropping enterprise, growing canola, wheat, oats, lupins, faba beans and vetches. Ben talks about his plans for the upcoming season, following on from a drier season in 2019, and the importance of rotation in driving down crop disease issues. Next they talk to Steven Simpfendorfer, who is a cereals pathologist from NSW DPI based in Tamworth. Steven talks about the dry conditions in the Northern and Central NSW regions, and how growers can maximise their chances of being profitable this season by considering their disease management. Finally Amir talks about the importance of fungicide timing and linking this to the weather, as well as strategies around spraying preventatively versus curatively. This podcast can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spodify, Tune in, Pocketcasts and more, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

The year 2019 may not have been the best for most growers around Australia, but with the ‘not so good’ growing conditions, comes a silver lining. Crop diseases held back, giving them a break from an expensive fungicide program. In this episode CCDM director Mark Gibberd once again joins Megan Jones as they discuss last season, and the strategies growers are using to manage disease. First up they talk to Geoff Thomas, DPIRD plant pathologist about his take on the 2019 season for WA growers. Geoff talks about the way growers are increasingly becoming more tactical when managing disease. They also talk to Nick Poole, FAR Australia managing director, who discusses the high rainfall zones of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, and how growers are seeing a resurgence in septoria tritici blotch. Nick also talks about the difficulties in managing this disease. Finally, Mark ends the podcast with summarising the top 4 strategies for 2019: resistant varieties, crop rotation, fungicide timing, and fungicide rotation. This podcast can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spodify, Tune in, Pocketcasts and more, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

Harvest. It’s upon us again. But as you dust off the big machine, have you thought about how you will manage your stubble this season? In this episode CCDM’s farming systems economist Amir Abadi once again joins Megan Jones as they discuss how to best manage stubble in different parts of the country. First up they talk to Cassandra Schefe, research coordinator from the Riverine Plains Farming Group about their five-year research trial into retaining stubble and the effect on yield. They also talk to Garren Knell, WA consultant from ConsultAg based in Narrogin, who talks about research looking at barley on barley rotations in the mid rainfall zone, and how stubble management can help reduce disease load going into the following season. Garren also talks about the importance of integrated disease management, and Amir finishes off with a roundup of how growers can economically reduce their disease risk – simply by protecting that flag leaf.This podcast can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spodify, Tune in, Pocketcasts and more, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.The GRDC podcast on Garren’s work that Megan refers to can be found here: https://grdc.com.au/news-and-media/audio/podcast/spot-form-net-blotch-on-barley