Publication Date
2-2019
Publisher
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
City
Perth, Western Australia
Abstract
Key messages
- All seed dressings tested reduced loose smut but the most effective were the SDHI fungicides EverGol® Energy, Systiva®, Vibrance® and Vitaflo® C.
- The Dash/Hindmarsh family of varieties are particularly susceptible to loose smut and will require a seed dressing every year to maintain control.
- Grain yield loss was generally equivalent to the percentage of infected plants present.
- Management strategies to reduce loose smut in crop were of no or limited value although grading seed to retain the >2.5mm portion could be useful.
Background information and aims
Barley loose smut is an unsightly disease that often looks worse than it is – growers are urged to assess crops by counting the number of infected plants in a given area. Despite this, growers are still concerned at infection levels seen in popular varieties such as La Trobe and Spartacus CL . Loose smut is carried inside the seed which is visually the same as healthy seed. Seed infection occurs around flowering. Levels fluctuate across seasons and increase quickly in years when spring is damp and mild favouring seed infection. Overall, levels tend to be lower in the low rainfall regions. Fungicidal seed dressings are used to prevent infected seed from expressing a smutted head but these vary in their effectiveness.
With new fungicide products available, we wanted to reassess the performance of a range of seed dressings registered for barley loose smut, assess variety susceptibility and investigate the potential for alternative management strategies to reduce loose smut. Yield loss is often quoted to be in proportion to the number of infected heads present as a percentage, but this has not been assessed recently in Australia.
Number of Pages
7
Keywords
barley, loose msut, grains, yield, grdc, dpird, wa
Disciplines
Agriculture
Recommended Citation
Hills, A,
Thomas, G J,
and
Jayasena, K.
(2019), Barley loose smut – control, variety susceptibility and effects on grain yield. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Perth, Western Australia. Article.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fc_factsheets/1
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