Western Australian grain growers and agronomists are being offered an opportunity to access cutting edge cereal and canola disease management advice and support through four workshops starting later this month.
The workshops at Katanning, Northam, Esperance and Perth will also provide the latest insights on managing fungicide resistance.
Supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the two-day workshops on July 27-28 (Katanning), July 29-30 (Northam), August 2-3 (Esperance) and August 4-5 (Perth) are being presented by the Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN).
"The workshops will focus on issues of regional importance and offer tailored advice for growers and agronomists," said workshop facilitator John Cameron, of Independent Consultants Australia Network (ICAN).
"However, places at these workshops are limited and early registration is advised to avoid disappointment.
"All attendees, no matter how experienced, will pick up new and valuable understandings that have practical on-farm application."
Mr Cameron says the field expertise of leading pathologists and agronomists will drive discussion around the impact and management of disease and fungicide resistance at a local level.
Topics to be covered during the small group workshops include:
- Cereal growth stages and spray decisions
- Where different fungicides fit
- Fungicide resistance management and resources
- Integrating fungicides, varieties, epidemiology and seasons for profit
- Cereal canopy management interactions with foliar disease decision making
- Management strategies in cereal and canola that consider the underlying risk of fungicide resistance
- Strategies for managing succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) and other resistance issues, including net blotches in barley and triazole resistance in powdery mildew.
Participants will receive a first-class resource kit that includes GRDC publications, copies of presentations and regional reference information.
The GRDC has established AFREN to provide growers with the support and resources they need to reduce the emergence and manage the impacts of fungicide resistance.
The initiative brings together regional plant pathologists, fungicide resistance experts, and communication and extension specialists from across the country. Project partners include AgCommunicators, Agriculture Victoria, the Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Centre for Crop Health at the University of Southern Queensland, Department of Primary Industries and Research Development (DPIRD) in Western Australia, Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia, Independent Consultants Australia Network (ICAN), Marcroft Grains Pathology, the South Australian Research and Development Institute and the University of Melbourne.
