Brown rust survives the snow in Hampshire

Brown rust was first spotted in winter wheat last November.  Despite last week’s snow, it’s still there. It doesn’t appear to be inhibiting its growth though, with the crop looking fairly forward at this stage.

The commercial crop was drilled early October, and the variety plots a few days later. The cold snap slowed growth and disease, but clearly has not removed disease inoculum in susceptible varieties. As temperatures warm up, crops should be monitored for disease development and T0 sprays planned accordingly as the crops move into stem extension. In our ‘adaptive disease management’ plots, where rust is present, we’ll be applying Cherokee at an appropriate rate to cover this and protect against septoria.

Senior Field Tech Manager, Iain Hamilton

The Syngenta Innovation Centres are specialist sites spread throughout the UK, with technical field experts trialling conditions, varieties, treatments and techniques to provide advice for agronomists and farmers. Come along to one of our open days to learn more about their research, and how it can benefit your crops. Find the dates and locations here.