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AFREN brings together regional plant pathologists, fungicide resistance experts and communications specialists to develop and deliver resources for growers and advisers.
You can view and download our resources here.
Fungicide resistance management in Australian grain crops – guide
Fungicide resistance occurs when over-exposure causes a disease to lose sensitivity to its chemical control. The Fungicide resistance management in Australian grain crops guide explains what fungicide resistance is and how to extend the effective life of fungicides. It details the status, causes, risk factors and management of fungicide resistances in Australia.
Key points
- Fungicide resistance occurs when a previously effective fungicide fails to control a disease due to repeated use of the same active ingredient or group.
- To avoid resistance, growers should use integrated disease management (IDM) strategies, such as crop rotation, use of less susceptible varieties and strategic fungicide application.
- Different fungicide groups have different risk levels for resistance development. Rotating and mixing fungicide groups is essential.
- Non-chemical methods such as stubble management, green bridge elimination, clean seed use, and choosing the right sowing times help reduce disease pressure and limit the need for fungicide applications.
- Regular crop checks and laboratory testing help find resistance early. Growers should keep records of fungicide use and seek advice from regional pathologists or the Fungicide Resistance Group.
Contents of the guide
The guide covers a range of topics related to fungicide resistance and its management including;
- Introduction to fungicide resistance
- Fungicide resistance risk factors
- Fungicide resistance in pathogens of Australian grain crops
- General fungicide resistance management guidelines
- Fungicide resistance management guidelines for barley, wheat, canola and pulses
- Fungicide resistance in the laboratory
- Recommended fungicide rotations
DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE
(6MB PDF)
Ground Cover Supplement, January-February 2024
GRDC has invested in the Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN) since 2019, led by Associate Professor Fran Lopez-Ruiz of Curtin University. This Groundcover Supplement showcases the achievements of AFREN thus far and shines a spotlight on new fungicide-related research underway at Curtin University’s Centre for Crop Disease Management (CCDM).
Click to download the supplement as a PDF, or read some of the articles below:
Research fast-tracked to arrest rising blackleg resistance
Research has indicated that fungicide application at 4 to 6-leaf stage in canola crops could be driving fungicide resistance in blackleg disease.
Tomorrow’s fungicides: gene switches and nanobots
New tools and techniques are being added to the fungicide resistance management arsenal.
‘Next-gen’ monitoring improving fungicide resistance detection
Like human diseases such as cancer, early detection and monitoring is crucial to keeping crops a step ahead of fungicide resistance.
Knowledge is power when managing fungicide resistance in pulses
Australian pulse production is threatened by the risk of fungicide resistance. Most crop species are susceptible to one or more fungal diseases and although breeding has developed some resistant varieties, there are still susceptible varieties grown which require more-frequent fungicide applications.
Fungicide resistance in Queensland: be alert
When the first map of fungicide resistance cases in Australia was compiled in 2016 by the research team at Curtin University’s Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), led by Associate Professor Fran Lopez-Ruiz, Queensland remained a blank region on that map.
Fungicides available for Australian grain crops and their modes of action
Fungicides play a critical role in safeguarding Australian grain crops, ensuring healthy yields and maintaining food security. As one of the world’s leading exporters of grains such as wheat and barley, Australia relies on effective fungicide strategies to combat fungal diseases that can devastate crops.
Fungicide resistance – a mounting problem in Australia
Up-to-date fungicide resistance knowledge is key to managing the increasing number of crop diseases developing this resistance.
Preserving our fungicides
Fungicides belong to a range of essential crop protectant tools that also include insecticides and herbicides. Fungicides can be classified as contact or systemic. Contact fungicides remain on the plant’s surface and are also referred to as protectant or preventative...
Fungicide Resistance – Navigating the storm, January-February 2024
AFREN’s mandate is to help growers and advisers stay informed about the prevalence and management of fungicide resistance in their region.
Blog Posts
Podcasts
A total of 12 podcasts are available in three series of podcasts.
All podcasts are available on the AFREN website or on most podcast streaming services.
Fact sheets
Two general fact sheets – on Fungicides in Australia and How Fungicide Resistance Develops – have also been produced.
Webinars
Videos
Three videos have been produced to help growers understand how fungicide resistance develops and how you can prevent it from becoming an issue in your cropping programs. The videos are available online.
Case studies
AFREN case study – blackleg Wimmera
The Wimmera has many cereal and pulse options, which facilitates the use of good agronomic practices such as allowing three or four years between canola rotations and separating new crops from previous seasons’ stubble. These practices should help keep disease pressure at moderate levels. However, blackleg can still be an issue in above-average rainfall years and for individual crops.
AFREN case study – blackleg lower EP
While Lower Eyre Peninsula canola growers have gained new fungicides for the control of blackleg, simply replacing DMIs with repeated or high frequency use of SDHIs could encourage new resistant strains of the pathogen.
Local growers and agronomists will be able to protect the long-term effectiveness of their new fungicides by strategically using these fungicides when they are most likely to result in an economic yield gain.
AFREN case study – net form net blotch
Barley growers on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula have seen how quickly fungicide resistance can turn from a potential problem to serious threat in the absence of good management practices.
Sam Holmes is an experienced agronomist in the region, where barley has proven to be a reliable and economically successful crop over many years.
AFREN case study – septoria tritici blotch
Tasmanian wheat growers enjoy a cool climate, relatively high rainfall and long growing season.
However, those cool, moist growing conditions lead to considerable disease pressure from Septoria tritici blotch (STB).
Recommended web resources
GRDC
GRDC Groundcover Supplement: Resistance in Weeds, Pests and Diseases
Issue 139: March – April 2019.
An overview of chemical resistance in weeds, pests and diseases. Largely in laymen’s terms, without compromising on depth or quality.
articles
online fact sheets
Principles of fungicide resistance
Paul Vincelli, Uni of Kentucky.
YouTube videos
Fungicide resistance
Bayer Canada.
Fungicide resistance management
Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC).
Events
FUNGICIDE RESISTANCE WEBINARS
AFREN hosts webinars at various times. Please check back regularly for updates, or view recordings of previous webinars.
More
info?
Contact us for an event
If you’re interested in having one of our team present an information session on fungicide resistance to your grower or advisory group, please get in touch.
We have regional pathologists in all states, and can deliver in person or online.