Key points
- Simple tracking of accumulated rainfall in October and November is giving us greater confidence in predicting seasons with greater responses to fungicides.
- Moderate to high Septoria tritici blotch risk to wheat crops was predicted through the 2016-17 spring, due to regular rainfall accumulating through October and November.
- Yield response to fungicide in 2016-17 was high, at an average 4.4 t/ha, at three irrigated Canterbury feed wheat cultivar trial sites compared with an average 1.8 t/ha over the prior two drier spring seasons.
- In the top yielding group of cultivars, Reflection (moderately resistant to STB) had the lowest yield loss of 1.9 t/ha when not sprayed with fungicide.