Tolerance of oats to crown rot in Western Australia 2016 trial report

Crown rot is a significant limitation to grain production in Western Australia, and appears to be increasing. Management strategies to minimise yield loss in cereals are restricted to a cereal break, inter-row sowing, cereal variety choice and controlling the summer and autumn green bridge.

With the recent increases in milling prices for oats and the growers from the non-traditional growing region (low rainfall areas) interested in growing oats, there is an increased need to evaluate varietal tolerance to crown rot in the field to demonstrate economic benefits of adoption to growers.

Oats are considered susceptible to crown rot and also suffer yield losses to both Fusarium pseudograminearum and F. culmorum which contribute to the disease. Observations from the east coast of Australia have identified a recent paddock, where oats were severely infected with F. culmorum. In WA, a two year survey identified that F. culmorum was primarily found in the cooler and higher rainfall regions of the south west of WA, which is also the traditional oat growing region. F. pseudograminearum has been isolated from across the entire growing region of WA.