edition 72 friday, december 05, 2014 · plant & food research plant & food research private...
TRANSCRIPT
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Edition 72 Friday, December 05, 2014
This edition includes
1. CROPS 2014 2. Call for cereal rust and Ramularia samples 3. Potato growing degree days 4. Potatoes in Canterbury 5. FAR events – including CPT trials tour
1. CROPS 2014
CROPS 2014 held at Chertsey on Wednesday was a roaring success with crowd numbers making it the
largest industry event of its type in the country. FAR CEO Nick Pyke says the day surpassed all previous
FAR industry events with over 600 people attending to hear presentations from national and
international cereal and seed researchers, and to view sponsors’ demonstrations around new cultivars,
agrichemicals, machinery and fertiliser products.
“We worked pretty hard to get the programme mix right and feedback to date suggests that the range
of agronomy, technology and environmental presentations was spot on. Guest speakers Patrick
Stephenson from the UK’s NIAB TAG and John Kirkegaard from Australia’s CSIRO drew big crowds for
their talks on cereal yields and break crops. Our growers always appreciate an international perspective
on the crops that they grow and Patrick and John’s ideas were received with a lot of interest.”
Mr Stephenson, who is a consultant in the UK, discussed the factors which scientists believe are holding
back potential increases wheat yields. He believes that many of these, such as disease resistance and
the number of tillers, heads and grains produced per plants, as well as water and nutrient use efficiency
could be addressed by improved genetics.
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Mr Kirkegaard discussed the benefits of break crops following wheat crops, noting that a recent research
review found that on average, wheat yields increased on average by 0.5 t/ha following oats, 0.8 t/ha
following oilseeds and 1.0 t/ha following grain legumes. This research has also found that the “break‐
crop effect” often extends to a second wheat crop especially following legumes.
Amongst the New Zealand research on show was a newly designed irrigator stabilisation system, which
can be retrofitted to centre pivot or linear irrigators to stop them blowing over in high winds. The
system, designed by Canterbury University mechanical engineering students with funding from the
Foundation for Arable Research, deploys self‐filling water
bags, which drop and anchor the irrigators. The design has
been patented and FAR is currently investigating development
options.
Other talks focused on issues such as nutrient management
and farm environment plans, integrated pest management
and spray drift reduction.
Dr Ian Harvey from PlantWISE was named FAR Researcher of
the Year. He is pictured here with CEO Nick Pyke and FAR
Chairman David Birkett.
2. Survey of cereal rust and Ramularia
FAR and Plant & Food Research are carrying out a survey of cereal rusts and Ramularia with the aim of
understanding exactly which strains of these disease are present in New Zealand crops.
To do this we need to collect:
as many rust and Ramularia samples as possible
from as many regions as possible
from as many cereal cultivars as possible.
If you grow cereal crops, run research trials, are an agrichemical company representative, commercial
agronomist, independent consultant or anyone connected with cropping we need your help. Please
send us rust samples from your wheat, triticale or barley crops and Ramularia from your barley crops.
Rusts include wheat stripe rust, wheat leaf rust, and barley leaf rust. Ramularia infects barley only. Collecting rust and Ramularia infected leaf samples from the field
1. Collect 5 to 7 leaves with rust pustules or Ramularia on them from a single field or single wheat/barley cultivar.
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2. Collect leaves a minimum of 10 days after the crop has been sprayed with fungicide. 3. Place leaf samples from each field in a paper envelope. For the rust samples make sure the
leaves are folded inwards. 4. Different cultivars from the same field should be kept in separate envelopes. 5. Do not use plastic bags because they will cause leaves to rot quickly. 6. Fill out the attached form for each sample. 7. Please mark envelopes for the attention of Soonie Chng or Rachael Warren and send to:
By post: By courier: Plant & Food Research Plant & Food Research Private Bag 4704 Canterbury Agricultural Science Centre Christchurch, 8140 Gerald Street, Lincoln
Note: If it is not possible to mail the rust samples immediately, samples can be kept in envelopes in the fridge for up to 2 days. Ramularia samples should be stored at room temperature, not in the fridge.
What do rust infections look like?
Stripe rust infection on the leaves and in the head (Photos: Hugh Wallwork & Richard Chynoweth).
Leaf rust infection on wheat leaf
What does Ramularia infection look like?
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Photos: Ian Harvey
Why is it important to know which rust pathotypes are present in New Zealand?
Cereal cultivars are protected from rust diseases by particular rust resistance genes. If we know what rust
pathotypes or strains are present, we can determine how new cultivars may react. Rust populations can
change over time depending on what cultivars are grown. In addition, new pathotypes can be generated
or introduced which change cultivar reactions. Being aware of the nature of these changes allows
pathologists and breeders to examine how other cultivars being bred or selected for New Zealand might
behave. When pathotypes change or there are new introductions, cultivars that were previously resistant
can be rendered susceptible. An example of the effect of a new pathotype was seen recently with milling
wheat cultivar Conquest, which was very resistant to leaf rust prior to 2010, but very susceptible after
that season.
What will happen to the rust samples?
Plant & Food Research will prepare and store the samples at ‐80o C until next autumn when they will be
analysed. Australian experts will travel to New Zealand once a year to determine the rust pathotypes.
Why is it important to collect Ramularia samples?
In Europe Ramularia is now resistant to strobilurin fungicides (e.g. Acanto). There is some evidence from barley fungicide trials in New Zealand that strobilurins are not as effective at controlling Ramularia as they used to be. It is important to have an understanding of the sensitivity of the Ramularia population to different fungicides to design effective fungicide programmes. FAR and Plant and Food Research want to test Ramularia resistance to both strobilurin and SDHI fungicides.
What will happen to the Ramularia samples?
The same method will be used as for the Septoria tritici blotch testing last year. In the laboratory
Ramularia samples will be grown on plates of agar. A number of fungicides at up to 12 rates will be
applied to the fungus to determine how sensitive the Ramularia is to the fungicide.
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Cereal rust and Ramularia sample collection form
Name:
Company:
Address:
Phone:
Location where sample collected:……………………………………………………………………….
Circle best described: Crop / Trial / volunteer / others (specify……………………..)
Crop (Barley or wheat):
Cultivar:
Date of collection:
Additional notes:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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3. TPP and degree days for the New Zealand potato growing regions
The following graphs show accumulated degree days (DD) from 1 July 2014. The graph for each region also contains accumulated degree days for a hot and cold year in that region, to allow you to make comparisons with the current season. The number of TPP generations for the current season so far is indicated on the graph with a yellow arrow. These graphs will be updated weekly on the Potatoes New Zealand website until early May 2015, and will continue to appear in Crop @action as well.
Helpful websites Degree days information
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/degree‐days08.pdf
http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/Web/049DegreeDays.pdf
http://www.virginiafruit.ento.vt.edu/Understanding_Degree_Days.html Sticky trap monitoring brochure
http://www.potatoesnz.co.nz/users/Image/Downloads/PDFs/TPP‐Brochure‐FINAL‐WEB.pdf
See over for accumulated degree days
Things to consider
Psyllids are active throughout the year and therefore 1 July is an arbitrary starting point.
It is important to be aware of other plants near your crop that can sustain TPP and act as a source of infestation. These include nightshade weeds, African boxthorn, poroporo but also volunteer potatoes.
Since the psyllid research is a work in progress, we strongly advise you to use the degree day graphs in conjunction with crop monitoring using sticky traps and plant sampling. Crop monitoring provides valuable information on TPP arrival, population build up and the life stages present in your crop (see the links below for a sticky trap monitoring brochure).
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Contact information For further information please contact Natasha Taylor, Research Associate, Plant and Food Research, ph: (06) 975 8880, email: [email protected]
4. Canterbury potato growing season
The following information has been supplied by Roger Blyth of Fruitfed Supplies, who will keep us
updated on what is happening with potatoes in Canterbury throughout the season.
We have seen a generally low level of TPP across the whole region but a large spike around Dunsandel appeared on the 3rd Decemebr and with forecast temperatures set to rise, control strategies are likely to be well underway within a week. Aphid levels have remained high – predator levels have remained good.
Canopy growth has been rapid and plant nutrition should be tailored accordingly
Irrigation requirements are high due to very high ET.
Some wind and hail damage has occurred to some crops.
Some follow up herbicides have been required due to movement of soil and residual herbicides allowing secondary weed flushes.
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5. Upcoming events
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CPT Trials Tour
Friday 12 December
Starting at
9.30am Eric and Maxine Watson, River Road, Wakanui
(corner River Rd and Gibsons Rd; signed from corner River Rd and Wakanui School Rd)
Autumn Feed and Biscuit Wheat
CPT Stage 1 & 2
Opportunity for industry comments and discussion
10.30am Ross Duncan and Steve Pole, 424 Rules Road, Pendarves (drive through the farm yard and then follow the track to the right) Spring Barley ‐ Feed and Malting
CPT Stage 1 & 2
Opportunity for industry comments and discussion
11.30 Geoff Maw, 696 McCrorys Road, Dorie
Autumn/Winter Wheat – Milling Wheat
CPT Stage 1 & 2
Speaker: Nigel Larsen, Plant and Food Research discusses innovative research into gluten
intolerance.
Finishing with NZGSTA sponsored field lunch and Malteurop sponsored beer.
Lunch numbers required; please contact FAR by 5 pm Tuesday 9th Dec
Ph 345 5783; email: [email protected]; text 0275 ARABLE
Cultivar descriptions will be available at the sites.
Contact Rob Craigie 021 575 303 for more information.
See following page for map of tour. Feel free to join or leave the tour at any stage.
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Contact us
Nick Poole 021 544 411 [email protected]
Rob Craigie 021 575 303 [email protected]
Richard Chynoweth 021 860 246 [email protected]
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relating to the subject matters contained in it and is based on information current at the time of publication. Information
contained in this publication is general in nature and not intended as a substitute for specific professional advice on any matter
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any of the information for any purpose. All previous Crop Actions and other publications can be viewed on the FAR website:
www.far.org.nz/index.php/intellicrop
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