What can I do to manage foliar disease?

Growers have a range of options available to manage foliar diseases. This post summarises some of those options. 

What can I dop to manage foliar disease?

• Reducing inoculum sources
• Choosing suitable varieties
• Applying seed dressings
• Applying foliar fungicides.

Reducing inoculum sources

Inoculum sources can be reduced by:

• Controlling ‘Green Bridge’ volunteers
• Rotating crops
• Managing stubble.

Volunteers should be controlled by mid-March to ensure spores produced on these plants are not viable by the time of crop emergence.

Rotating crops to avoid planting back into infected stubble is also especially important for diseases such as Ascochyta Blight.

Seed Dressing Fungicides

Seed dressing fungicides are a useful tool that can be employed by pulse growers to control/suppress certain foliar diseases in addition to a range of soil and root diseases.

For example, Fairgro® seed dressing will control seed born Botrytis and Aschochyta Blight infections that can reduce crop establishment as well as offering protection against airborne Aschochyta Blight infections.

The benefit of seed treatment will depend on disease conditions and risk factors, however, in lentils and chickpeas it is the foundation of good crop establishment and disease management programs.

Foliar Fungicide Guide for Winter Pulses

Consult the ADAMA Foliar Fungicide Guide for Winter Pulses for more information on crop disease management. If you haven't already downloaded the guide, click 'Download' below for your copy.