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Cereal disease control

These ongoing projects relate to the work that HGCA has commissioned in relation to cereal disease control.

Click on the titles for an upshot of the problem to be addressed, the aims, the approach and the benefits to the industry. Also will be attached the latest information in the form of Annual Project Reports (APRs) or Interim Reports.

RD-2004-2956 Improved Resistance to Septoria in Superior Varieties (IMPRESSIV).
Septoria tritici blotch has been consistently the major disease of wheat in Britain for more than a decade.  It is the principal target for foliar fungicides but control with strobilurins has recently become much more difficult because of the emergence of resistance to these fungicides, while there is little flexibility in the timing of application of triazole fungicides.  There is therefore an urgent need to increase the availability of wheat varieties which combine good resistance to septoria with excellent yield and quality.

RD-2004-2992 Towards a sustainable whole-farm approach to the control of Ergot (LK0962).
The overall aim of this project is to develop an integrated package of measures aimed at reducing the risk of ergot infection in wheat crops whilst retaining the environmental benefits of grass margins. A new project was added in 2006, RD-2006-3266 Ergot in spring barley. 

RD-2004-3128 Understanding evolution and selection of azole resistance mechanisms to septoria leaf blotch in the UK [LK0976]
To understand the genetic basis and evolution of resistance to azoles in the M. graminicola population and to use this knowledge to develop robust strategies to maintain the effectiveness of this important group of chemicals in crop protection.

RD-2005-3187 United Kingdom Ceral Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS), [cont. from RD-2002-2756]
To monitor changes in virulence of UK cereal pathogen populations and determine their significance for the resistances that are being used in current varieties and breeding programmes.

RD-2006-3332 Improving risk assessment to minimise fusarium mycotoxins in harvested oats
Project aims are the monitoring and modelling of fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), HT2, T2 and zearalenone (ZEAR) at harvest in UK oats.

RD-2008-3480 Identification and characterisation of resistance to the take-all fungus in wheat (PhD)The project aims to identify and characterise germplasm which can be used to improve the resistance of hexaploid wheat crops to Take-all through conventional breeding and to provide a robust protocol to permit for the first time the annual evaluation of this trait through national and recommended list trialling.

RD-2004-3009: Is resistance to yellow rust, in an old European wheat, durable? (CASE Studentship)
Project Aims to determine whether the yellow rust resistance in an old European wheat variety, which is believed to be durable, will remain effective when transferred to UK wheat germplasm, and identify indicators of what constitutes a durable source of yellow resistance.

RD-2006-3397 Fungicide performance on winter wheat
To provide growers with independent information on the performance and use of existing and novel fungicides against the economically important foliar diseases of winter wheat.

RD-2007-3418 In-season disease monitoring to inform CropMonitor
To provide growers with timely and impartial advice about prevailing disease risks to inform the adjustment of fungicide input at key decision times.

RD-2008-3479 Study of Fusarium langsethiae infection of cereals (PhD)
The project aims to identify the pathogenicity and life-cycle of F. langsethiae in UK cereals.

RD-2007-3462 Fungicide performance information for barley growers
The aim of this project is to determine the performance of barley fungicides against the major foliar diseases; rhynchosporium, powdery mildew, net blotch, brown rust and ramularia.

RD-2008-3570 Cephalosporium leaf stripe - an emerging threat to wheat crops in short rotations
The project aims to provide growers with practical advice to manage Cephalosporium leaf stripe in winter wheat on high risk farms.

RD-2007-3458 Improving resource use efficiency in barley through protecting 
Identify mechanisms of fungicide effects on sink capacity, resource use efficiency (especially nitrogen) and yield of high quality grain, to guide treatment decisions.

RD-2009-3625 Identification, prevalence and impacts of viral diseases in UK (PhD) 
This project seeks to address three uncertainties about the UK wheat production now and for the future:
1. identify and measure the prevalence of viral diseases in commercially grown crops
2. examine the extent to which the occurrence of viral diseases might explain the
plateau, evident over the past decade, in yield improvement achieved by growers
3. determine how climate change might alter the importance of endemic and immigrant viral diseases of wheat over the next two decades

RD-2009-3645 Screening for Qol resistance in UK populations of Rhynchosporium secalis The aim of the project is to screen for QoI fungicide resistance in UK populations of R.
secalis from winter and spring barley crops

RD-2008-3517 Improved tools to rationalise and support stewardship programmes for SDHI fungicides to control cereal diseases in the UK
Project aims to provide a scientific framework for sustainable use of the newly developed succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI) and their mixing partners to maintain or enhance cereal production in the UK

Field mycotoxins

RD-2006-3288 Improving risk assessment to minimise fusarium mycotoxins in harvested wheat grain
Monitoring the fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEAR) at harvest in UK wheat.

RD-2006-3332 Improving risk assessment to minimise fusarium mycotoxins in harvested oats
This project aims are the monitoring and modelling of fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), HT2, T2 and zearalenone (ZEAR) at harvest in UK oats.

RD-2007-3401 Improving risk assessment to minimise fusarium mycotoxins in harvested malting barley
Monitoring and modelling of fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), HT2, T2 and zearalenone (ZEAR) in UK malting barley at harvest.

RD-2008-3573 Improved modelling of fusarium to aid mycotoxin prediction in UK 
This project aims to improve the prediction of fusarium mycotoxin risk at key stages of the growing season and at different scales; national, regional and farm level.

RD-2008-3574 Fusarium mycotoxins in UK oat varieties - monitoring in preparation for legislation
This project aims to quantify HT2 and T2 concentration in UK oat varieties from RL trials conducted across the UK. To analyse the relative susceptibility of winter and spring oat varieties based on the HT2 and T2 content.

RD-2007-3453 Integrated strategy to prevent mycotoxin risks (Inspyr) 
Much of the current UK wheat vulnerability to FHB is associated with the Rht2 semi-dwarfing gene. This project aims to break this association and enable breeders to produce FHB resistant Rht2 varieties.

For projects on storage mycotoxins please see Grain storage projects.

Please visit the new Mycotoxin Section of our website for more information about field and storage mycotoxins and to see publications and tools that have arisen out of finished projects.

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