South Australian agronomists have an excellent opportunity to build or refresh their expertise on soilborne diseases, which can cause significant losses in cereal crops if not managed appropriately.
The PREDICTA®B Root Disease Risk Management course is returning following a two-year hiatus due to COVID.
Designed for agronomists of all levels of experience, the 2022 course will take place in Adelaide on October 25.
The one-day course provides accreditation for delivering PREDICTA®B, a DNA-based soil testing service that enables the identification of pathogens that pose the greatest risk to farms.
Cereal root diseases cost Australian grain growers more than $300m a year in lost production.
Much of this can be prevented but management decisions to minimise yield losses must be made before crops are sown.
Hosted by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the course will be facilitated by agronomy consultant Dr Allan Mayfield and will cover the main soilborne diseases, crop symptoms, host range, effects of season, management strategies, and paddock follow-up.
Participants will also learn about the PREDICTA® rNod rhizobia testing service, which helps growers and advisers determine if inoculation with rhizobia is likely to be beneficial in faba beans, lentils, vetches and field peas.
The rNod service was developed through a strategic partnership between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and SARDI.
SARDI Plant Health and Diagnostics program leader Dr Nicole Thompson said the content will be tailored to local conditions.
“We’ll be updating agronomists on current management options, based on recent regional soilborne disease pressures,” she said.
“The course will help agronomists interpret and understand PREDICTA®B and rNod results, as well as use the service to make better informed variety, rotation and paddock management decisions.”
Dr Thompson also emphasised the importance of the return to in-person training.
“We are delighted to bring back face-to-face courses on this critical topic,” she said.
“It’s very difficult to beat the effectiveness of personal interaction,” she said.
Other topics include disease management and soil sampling strategies, yield loss risk categories for established tests, and population density categories for new tests.
Course participants will receive access to the PREDICTA®B service, the Broadacre Soilborne Disease Manual, and a PREDICTA®B soil corer.
Dr Mayfield and Dr Thompson will be joined by a team of SARDI and independent experts including Dr Liz Farquharson, Blake Gontar, Dr Katherine Linsell, Dr Alan McKay and Dr Margaret Evans.
The courses are being offered through a GRDC investment and will also be available to agronomists in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia.
The Adelaide course will be held at The Monastery, 15 Cross Road, Urrbrae.
