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Call to test for barley loose smut before sowing crops

The West Australian
Loose smut in Baudin barley.
Camera IconLoose smut in Baudin barley. Credit: no

WA growers concerned about barley loose smut have been encouraged to test retained seed for the disease and use seed dressings before sowing next season.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development researcher Andrea Hills said growers, particularly in medium to high-rainfall areas, experienced high levels of barley loose smut (Ustilago nuda) this year.

She said all varieties could be affected, but growers of Hindmarsh and its sister line, La Trobe, were more likely to be affected by the disease, which reduced grain yield and affected export opportunities for some markets.

Ms Hills, who conducts DPIRD research into loose smut as part of a Grains Research and Development Corporation crop disease investment in WA, urged growers who were concerned about smut levels to assess them in spring each year.

“In most cases, levels of the disease are actually much lower than they appear,” she said.

“The disease can in most cases be profitably managed, so growers should not be unnecessarily alarmed.

“Having said this, as seed infection occurs during flowering, the long, cool spring in 2016 may have led to higher than usual infection rates of seeds used to sow 2017 barley crops.”

Ms Hills said good growing conditions in a number of southern areas of WA this year meant more infected seed survived to produce smutted heads.

“This year’s spring has been relatively favourable for loose smut transmission and renewed infection in many barley growing areas, so smut levels might be high again next year,” she said.

Ms Hills said testing seed retained at harvest would give growers a better idea of what they might face if they did not treat it carefully with a premium seed dressing.

“If seed is tested and found to be at or higher than the 5 per cent infection level, growers may benefit from replacing it with a new batch of seed,” she said.

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