Disease prevention in cereal crops is essential. Some growers may have already applied a fungicide to winter barley crops, but most have not, but might do in the coming days. Three-spray programmes will apply earliest in higher pressure areas.

If you are planning on a two-spray programme you need to try and delay application, but if disease is present you need to go with the first fungicide and adjust your plan accordingly.

On winter barley the first spray can consist of prothioconazole and strobilurin. Whatever the products there needs to be a mix of fungicide actives. Some will use an SDHI at T1 as well.

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Add in nutrition where needed and some growers may be adding a plant growth regulator to the mix, but don’t do this in a stressful situation with frost in the forecast.

Big tank mixes can add to stress and cause ramularia later on, so ideally if crops need growth regulator, herbicide nutrition and fungicide you will split this into two tanks. Anyone with Axial to apply needs to be particularly cautious.

Winter wheat

There is some disease in winter wheat and some rust reported. The YR15 gene has broken down against yellow rust and is contained in many varieties. However, rust is easily treated so a strobilurin application will help to prevent rust, but where disease is active you need to knock it down with an azole like tebuconazole or prothioconazole.

However, you will be using azoles at T1 so if prothioconazole is going to be in your T1 you should be using tebuconazole at T0 if it is needed.

Winter oats

On winter oats, disease has been in crops a while, but like all crops cold temperatures has helped to keep disease present under control. Elatus Era is always a good option on oats, but early on you are applying a triazole and a mildewcide in general. Delaro Forte is now an option on oats for the season ahead this has a strobilurin, triazole and spiroxamine which can control mildew.