WITH the right conditions, crown rot could be a big problem for Victoria's grain growers.
While it is generally considered to be a disease of northern Australia, it has become more prevalent in southern states in the past decade.
Department of Primary Industries senior plant pathologist Dr Grant Hollaway said tighter rotation of cereals and stubble retention were leading to the right conditions for the fungal disease.
"Twenty years ago people burnt or cultivated stubble and they used to have a pasture phase where they ran sheep," Dr Hollaway said.
"People used to be careful about cereal rotations because of cereal cyst nematode, but now there are CCN resistant varieties, people can grow cereals in closer rotation."
Dr Hollaway said crown rot liked a wet start, to infect the plant and loved a dry spring.
"We've had plenty of those," he said.
He said the fungus restricted water supply to the head of the plant which resulted in premature ripening of the ear and shrivelled grain or no grain.
Dr Hollaway said about two thirds of paddocks always had crown rot and, while the total loss was about 2 to 3 per cent, some paddocks lost 5 per cent or more.
He said crown rot could be particularly bad for durum wheat, which could experience losses of up to 50 per cent.
He said grain growers needed to manage the level of crown rot in their paddocks.
"Growers can avoid paddocks that are at risk and should grow non-cereals for at least two years," Dr Hollaway said.
Dr Hollaway is working on a Grains Research and Development Project to assess the control options for crown rot.
Dr Hollaway will be talking to growers about crown rot at the Birchip Cropping Group Research Expo on Thursday July 2.
South Australia Research and Development Institute researcher Dr Margaret Evans will also attend the expo.
