Key Points
- This Arable Update summarises two seasons’ trial work assessing the responses of seven autumn sown feed and milling wheat cultivars to zero, one or three spray fungicide programmes at two sites.
- Leaf rust was the main disease that developed in all of the trials and infection occurred earlier (mid November to early December) and developed more at Wakanui in both seasons. Leaf scorch occurred in the 2008 season at Temuka.
- Disease incidence, and yield and economic response to fungicide were higher at Wakanui than Temuka in both seasons.
- This increased leaf rust pressure made the three spray programme more economic than the one spray programme for the more susceptible cultivars at Wakanui.
- At Temuka the one spray programme gave the higher margin for all cultivars except for KWW34.
- Conquest’s superior leaf rust resistance was shown at both trial sites resulting in it being uneconomic to apply a fungicide at the Wakanui site.