A rapid test for ramularia is set to be available for barley growers next year to counter the growing threat from this particularly difficult disease to control.

The test, called SwiftDetect, is already being used this season by about 100 growers and agronomists to detect septoria disease in wheat, and is now being expanding to barley crops.

Andrew Davies, managing director of biotechnology company Microgenetics, which has developed the test, says the move to a ramularia test is being driven by farmer demand.

See also: How new rapid septoria test is set to benefit wheat growers

“Ramularia is a growing problem and difficult to control, and growers were asking us if we could do a test for the disease,” he told Farmers Weekly at Cereals 2021.

Septoria test

The group launched its septoria test for wheat this season. It costs £70 a sample – with results coming back in 24 hours giving an undetected, low, medium or high reading for the disease – and the ramularia test is set to be a similar price.

Chris Steele, the group’s product manager, says the foliar test, with one sample of 10 leaves taken on average over 10ha, will be available next year and a seed-borne ramularia test later.

“With ramularia, growers don’t know they have got the disease until barley crops come under stress, and once the symptoms are seen, it is too late to treat the disease,” he said.

The latent period for ramularia can range from seven days up to a full season, so can be particularly difficult to detect and then control.

The septoria test was launched this year to isolate the pathogen and then detect the DNA of the pathogen, and next season this test will be extended to cover yellow rust, brown rust and mildew at an additional cost.

Further in the pipeline is a light leaf spot test for oilseed rape for autumn 2022, and then a potato blight test for 2023 or 2024.

Microgenetics is part of pharmaceuticals group Qualasept Pharmaxo, based in Corsham, Wiltshire.