Fungal diseases alert on cereals in Australia

A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
 
2010 season is shaping up as a bad one for crop diseases. Last seasons heavy crops have boosted the risk of disease in new-season cereal crops to the highest level in a long time. Victorian Department of Primary Industries Grant Hollaway told growers that average to above-average rainfall between now and October would increase the likelihood of serious epidemics of several diseases. He said it was vital to monitor crops.
 
"Last year (2009), we had better crops than weve had in recent years, which has increased the amount of stubble-borne inoculum present," Dr Hollaway said. "Were looking at wheat diseases such as stripe rust (Whats this?), stem rust, and yellow leaf spot as well as barley diseases like spot form of net blotch, net form of net blotch, and scald. Some diseases are also coming from volunteer cereals, which carry over stripe rust and stem rust."
 
Dr Hollaway said it was important for growers to be aware of the susceptibility or resistance to disease of the varieties they had sown, and that the further south in higher rainfall areas, [the higher] the disease risk.