Rapid test launches for barley disease

Arapid test to identify two of the most damaging diseases in barley before they’re visible will launch this month.

The SwiftDetect test from Microgenetics has already proved valuable in identifying diseases such as Septoria in wheat. The team has now developed new tests to identify net blotch and rhynchosporium in barley.

Net blotch has the potential to cause yield losses of 10-40% if it is not controlled and rhynchosporium, the most damaging disease affecting UK barley, can inflict several infection cycles during a single growing season.

Early warning

By identifying the presence of net blotch and rhynchosporium be- fore they’re visible, farmers can act quickly to control either disease before they become a more serious problem.

“We decided to focus on these pathogens because they’re a particular concern for the British farming industry,” says Microgenetics principal scientist Rebec- ca Sanders. “We know they cause the biggest crop yield failures and have the biggest financial impact

“By using SwiftDetect, farmers are given an early warning that treatment is necessary. It allows them to use it as part of their integrated crop management and spray according to what’s actual- ly in the field, rather than a preemptive campaign.”

“It saves money. It saves the environment. And it prolongs the life of fungicides because, like antibiotics, the more fungicides we use, the more likely it is that pathogens will develop resistance to them.”

SwiftDetect is easy to use –farmers simply collect ten leaves from across a barley field for their sample and then post them to the SwiftDetect laboratory using prepaid envelopes that can be ordered from the Microgenetics website.

Results are returned quickly by email, usually by the next business day if not sooner.

A traffic light warning system will tell a farmer whether the sample was low, medium or high risk.

Spray cover assessment tool launched

Asimple-to-use spray coverage tool has been launched to make it easier for farmers and contractors to complete spray records.

Launched at Lamma by Metos UK, the portable DropSight on-site tool works with a mobile phone to give spray operators instant information on the spray deposition efficiency of the sprayer, helping to improve crop protection performance.