PRESSURE ON cereal crops from wet weather diseases has increased after recent rains and rising temperatures, say experts.

According to this week‘s FWi Crop Watch reports from the North, West/SW and south, wetter conditions have increased the pressure from Septoria tritici, in particular.

“Even before recent rains, there was already plenty of Septoria tritici in the base of wheat crops,” added Syngenta‘s Matthew Pickard.

“Recent rainsplash events and increasing temperatures will have encouraged spore release from these infections,” he said.

With the first of the top three yield-building leaves – leaf three – now emerging, adopting a robust fungicide strategy at T1 to protect leaf three will be crucial, he said.

Growers should use a multi-site mode of action fungicide to help tackle against the problems of Septoria tritici resistance to strobilurins and shifting sensitivity to triazoles, he added.

Fungicides applied at T1 should also be sufficiently rainfast to withstand April showers, Mr Pickard noted. He suggested using Bravo (chlorothalonil) in wheat and barley.

Keep track of the latest in-field reports every week by visiting the Crop Watch section, brought to you exclusively by FWi and FARMERS WEEKLY.