Updated field pea blackspot sowing guide for WA available online
DPIRD has a new field pea blackspot sowing guide for Western Australia available online. It is current to Monday 20 May.
The blackspot risk level has dropped to medium at Jacup and Gardiner due to rainfall being experienced and it is now safe to sow field pea at these two locations. Growers are advised not to sow field pea dry but.
It is still marginally too early to sow at Mount Barker this week, however the blackspot risk forecast is low and field pea can be sown at this location from next week onwards.
At all other locations there has been insufficient rainfall this season to mature the blackspot fruiting bodies and the blackspot risk is high for areas where field pea has been grown in the past three years. We recommend that growers delay sowing field peas in all these locations.
For more details on the latest forecast refer to the department's Field pea blackspot sowing guide for Western Australia - 20 May 2019.
Blackspot becomes established when spores of the fungi produced on old field pea stubble are carried into the new crop by wind after rain events. Infection may occur at any stage of plant growth.
DPIRD’s Blackspot Manager is a model that predicts the maturity and release of blackspot spores using weather data from the nearest weather station. Advice is then given on when it is safe to sow field pea.
Growers and consultants can regularly check their locations blackspot risk as updated forecasts are available weekly at the department’s Blackspot in field peas disease forecast 2019 page.
For more information on blackspot refer to the department’s Diagnosing blackspot in field peas page.
To subscribe to the free blackspot SMS service, text 'blackspot', your name and nearest weather station to 0475 959 932 or email Blackspot.Manager@dpird.wa.gov.au to subscribe to the direct email service.
For more information on blackspot in field peas or the forecasts contact Jean Galloway, Research Officer, Northam on +61 (0)8 9690 2172.