In this issue:

New Publications
     - G44 The barley disease management guide
     - G28 Cereals and oilseeds for biofuels: environmental assessment
     - New final project reports
       PR445 Assessing take-all risk in second wheats using the Predicta B test
       PR444 Appropriate Doses Network: up-to-date information on fungicide performance
       for wheat growers
Events
     - Be PRECISE
     - Disease management in cereals: Putting the ease into disease control
     - HGCA/SAC Workshops - Combinable Crops Agronomy Update
     - UKCPVS Stakeholders Meeting March 09

Link: http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=5036 

The independent review concludes that UK-produced biofuels can:

     - be grown in a sustainable manner
     - deliver both energy and GHG savings
     - reduce reliance on fossil fuels
     - create new markets for UK farmers.

Link to press release: http://www.hgca.com/content.press_releases/105/105/News/News/News%20Items.mspx?fn=showRelease&menuid=3727&minisiteId=&minisiteTemplateId=

Link to the leaflet: http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=4445   

Link to Research Review 54:  http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=2177 

PR445 Assessing take-all risk in second wheats using the Predicta B test
A strong positive correlation was found between the take-all infectivity of the soil, as measured by a soil seedling bioassay, and the take-all DNA in the soil in two of the three sites.

Link: http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=5037 

PR444 Appropriate Doses Network: up-to-date information on fungicide performance for wheat growers
Advances in fungicide chemistry play a key role in maximising economic returns from wheat production. With grain values stronger than for some time, but high crop establishment and nitrogen costs, it is crucial that the investment made in establishing and growing green crop canopy is protected through effective disease management.

Link: http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=4826 

'Be PRECISE' (Precision for efficiency, savings and the environment) is a new knowledge transfer initiative being launched in January with a series of the workshops aimed to help growers explore whether Precision Farming systems can benefit their businesses. 

On-line survey

Before the initiative kicks off we would like to gauge what technology is currently being used and how we can target our activities to best address levy payers needs. There is still time to complete our online survey on what you think about precision farming and what you would like from the initiative. It is important that we hear from the whole spectrum of growers: whether you consider yourself a practitioner or have no interest in trying the technology. 

Please help us out by taking a few minutes to fill in the online survey. 
Click here:  http://intranet.antmarketing.com:81/index.php?sid=63025836  

Events confirmed so far are: 
13 Jan - Peterborough
14 Jan - Lincoln
20 Jan - Newbury
21 Jan - Willerby
3 Feb - Taunton
4 Feb - Telford
24 Feb - Hinxton
25 Feb - Maidstone

Dates for workshops in Scotland will be available next week. 

Full details of these half-day workshops can be found at www.hgca.com/events.  

If you have any questions about the survey or the initiative, please email beprecise@hgca.com.

This series of 3 half-day workshops will provide you with the latest results from HGCA-funded wheat fungicide performance and barley disease control trials, as well as information on the management of take-all and optimizing your spray application for fungicides.  

The events are being held on:
13 Jan - Peterborough
20 Jan - Newbury
21 Jan - Willerby

Following the success of last years events, HGCA and SAC are again holding 3 workshops in January. The morning sessions will focus on spring barley agronomy, while the afternoons will cover disease management for wheat and oilseed rape. 

The events are being held on:
13 Jan - Carfraemill, Berwickshire
15 Jan - Perth
20 Jan - Aberdeen  

The programme will include reports from the UKCPVS for the 2008 season and a talk by Jerome Enjalbert of INRA on French research on yellow rust.

If you would like to attend this meeting, please contact Hazel Bull by 20 February 2009, giving your name, company and e-mail address and a place will be reserved for you.

E-mail: hazel.bull@niab.com, or fax: 01223 342394  

PR445 Assessing take-all risk in second wheats using the Predicta B test by R.J.Gutteridge, S. Treskic and K. E. Hammond-Kosack of Rothamsted Research.
HGCA Project No: 3334. Price: 4.00

Soil samples were taken after the first wheat harvest in 2007 from three experiment sites at two locations. Joint replicated soil seedling bioassays and take-all DNA quantification measurement were done on a total of 40 soil samples. A strong positive correlation was found between the take-all infectivity of the soil, as measured by a soil seedling bioassay, and the take-all DNA in the soil in two of the three sites. These two sites had very different soil types. At the third site there was also a positive correlation between the two variables but this was weaker.

Two of the three sites were sown to a second winter wheat in October 2007 and the severity of take-all was assessed in July 2008 on those plots where the take-all DNA and the take-all infectivity of the soil had been measured. On both occasions, there was a strong positive correlation between the infectivity of the soil, measured prior to sowing the crop, and the percentage of plants in the subsequent crop showing moderate or severe disease symptoms. Take-all DNA in the soil, measured prior to sowing the crop, also showed a strong positive correlation with the percentage of plants showing moderate or severe symptoms of the disease in one experiment but the positive correlation was weaker in the second experiment.

Each of the fungicides tested was applied as a single spray to the upper leaves, at quarter, half, full and double the label recommended dose, and untreated plots were included for comparison. Double dose treatments were applied for experimental purposes and must not be applied to farm crops. The conclusions from this work were widely reported during the life of the project, at HGCA events, Cereals 2005, 2006 and 2007, and in the farming press, so the practical messages may no longer seem 'new'. This report sets out the dose-response curves for all the diseases and products tested. In summary, the main conclusions were:

Septoria tritici:  The decline in the performance of triazole fungicides seen over recent decades appears to have stabilised. Epoxiconazole and prothioconazole both continue to provide good control, provided the dose used is sufficiently robust for the disease susceptibility of the variety and disease pressure. The addition of chlorothalonil or boscalid is recommended. The addition of strobilurins to good triazoles adds little to septoria control, but is justified for rust control (see below).

Stagonospora (Septoria) nodorum (glume blotch):  This disease remains a substantial risk in the south west. Products based on prothioconazole or epoxiconazole gave good glume blotch control, as did pyraclostrobin.

Brown rust:  2007 was a particular severe brown rust season across much of southern and eastern England, due to high spring temperatures and a breakdown of disease resistance in some major wheat varieties. Strobilurins and triazoles have maintained their effectiveness against brown rust. The most effective control was given by Fandango, Tracker and Vivid. Yield responses in the trials (as in farm crops) were related to control of rust and septoria, and the largest yield responses were given by Opus + Comet, Prosaro, Tracker and Fandango.

Yellow rust:  Fungicides or fungicide mixtures containing epoxiconazole, prothioconazole or tebuconazole all gave excellent control, usually even at low doses. The strobilurins azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin were also effective. Control by prothioconazole appeared to be improved by the addition of fluoxastrobin (as Fandango).

Powdery mildew:  A range of new active substances have provided a substantial improvement in mildew control. Metrafenone (Flexity), proquinazid, (Talius) and the more recently introduced cyflufenamid (Cyflamid), gave excellent control even at low doses. Yield responses were modest (as mildew is less damaging to yield than septoria or rusts), but economic.