Crop Disease Podcast

It’s September and its starting to warm up. In many regions across Australia, the winter has been a warm and wettish one, and in such conditions in the past, we’ve seen some significant sclerotinia outbreaks take off. 

So just in case an outbreak happens this season, lets talk about the options now. 

Join CCDM's Megan Jones as she interviews CCDM researchers Sarita Bennett and Pippa Michael on the latest in sclerotinia in lupins research, and management strategies for both canola and lupins.  

Also on the show is Peter Bostock, who is the technical support manager for WA and SA with Pioneer Seeds. Peter talks about the latest in canola disease resistance and management advice.

The episode includes interesting discussion around the difficulty in breeding for both disease resistance and yield in crops. A paper that was recently published by CCDM's Mark Derbyshire in collaboration with UWA was mentioned - check it out here.

It’s now late August, and what started off to be a very dry start, has either stayed dry, or become a little wetter in some regions. But how does one region, compare to another? That’s where we come in. 

Along with CCDM’s Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones as she speaks to three agronomists in late August to find out the current issues of the season and the next management strategy to think about. We'll hear from:

• James Bee, Elders, Albany, WA, on how the season is holding on well despite the driest start to the season on record. Disease pressure is also low, due to mixed emergence which allows airflow through the canopy, and a diverse range of resistant varieties being grown. And with the warm August, to be prepared for aphids and other insects. 
• Jana Freebairn, Pinion Advisory and WeedSmart, Freeling, SA, on how they haven’t cracked decile 1 rainfall for the growing season, and along with the high temperatures and windy conditions, how they're expecting a below average season. Even so, some of the crops look okay in the Lower North and she was surprised to find stripe rust just recently.
• Rohan Brill, Brill Ag, Riverina Region, NSW, on how they've had a decile 6 August with two recent heavy rainfall events, and how he is seeing a reasonable amount of stripe rust, but mostly in susceptible varieties. Also how the temperature has been 1.5 degrees above average, and with the warmth, to monitor paddocks for aphids.

This podcast can be found anywhere where you get your other podcasts from, just search “Crop Disease Podcast”.

Or read about all our agronomy stories in CCDM's blog The Spotlight

The 2024 season has begun and the crops are just starting to come out of the ground in what seems to be a bit of a slow start. But how does one region compare to another? That’s where we come in. 

Along with CCDM’s Mark Gibberd, join Megan Jones as she speaks to three agronomists in late June to find out the current issues of the season and the next management strategy to think about. We'll hear from:

• Rohan Brill, Brill Ag, Riverina region NSW, on how his clients are planning fungicide management strategies to prepare to react to the season, to avoid a repeat of 2022 when they were hit hard with septoria tritici blotch. Rohan also speaks about an increase in faba beans in rotations this year.
• Jana Freebairn, Pinion Advisory, Freeling, SA, on the slow start to the season, with 55mm to date, in a region that would normally have 200mm by now. Also on understanding what fungicides to use on pulses, talking about carbendazine and changes to Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in the international market.
• James Bee, Elders, Albany, WA, on the unusual start to the season, experiencing the driest start on record. Also on the multiple different barley varieties that are being grown throughout the region and waiting to see which of these varieties will come on top. 

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

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 [email protected], 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 [email protected]