IPM approaches to controlling cereal diseases

Under Irish growing conditions, controlling cereal diseases is a critical part of managing cereal crops. Here, Steven Kildea, Teagasc Plant Pathologist, outlines how we can combine the different components of control through integrated pest management to manage diseases.

With a mild and damp climate dominating, diseases such as septoria tritici blotch in winter wheat and ramularia leaf spot in winter and spring barley thrive. These diseases can - if allowed to develop - cause significant reductions in both grain yield and quality. It is equally important to ensure control measures taken reflect disease pressures experienced or anticipated. Growers should utilise all available measures to achieve this, with such approaches forming the basis of integrated pest management or IPM control strategies.

Undoubtedly, final yield will always be a major factor for growers when selecting a variety to be grown. However, it is important to also consider the different agronomic qualities, such as ability to resist disease that varieties have. As the first line of defence, varietal resistance should form a key pillar in the development of IPM strategies.

Although the availability of wheat varieties with high levels of Septoria resistance, or barley with ramularia resistance is limited, strong levels of resistance do exist to our other major diseases, e.g. yellow rust in winter wheat and rhynchosporium or net blotch in barley.

In the below video, Steven gives an overview of what to expect at the upcoming Crops and Cover Crop Cultivations event in terms of managing disease pressures through IPM and the disease control programmes available:

Even in the absence of strong levels of varietal resistance, such as the case with septoria, it is still possible to utilise the subtle differences that do exist. The later a crop is sown in autumn, the lower the levels of septoria that overwinter and are available to initiate epidemics the following spring. Equally, the location where a crop is sown can influence the levels of disease, with crops that tend to stay wet due to low-lying mists, or being sheltered, likely to get more disease. These are local factors that should be taken into consideration when selecting a crop/variety to be sown. These decisions should influence the intensity of fungicide programmes that are subsequently applied.

At Crops and Cover Crop Cultivations, Steven Kildea will present the latest trial results from disease control programmes, along with discussing the need for a more broad based IPM approach to future disease control.