The role of fungicides for effective disease management in cereal crops

Fungicides are the last line of defence in the armoury of an integrated disease management (IDM) approach. They do not create yield, but protect an inherent yield potential that the grower may realize in the absence of disease. In the field, securing effective disease control from fungicide applications is dependent upon the disease pressure and the effectiveness of the fungicide to control that disease. Globally, the same fungicide active ingredients are used against a similar range of fungal pathogens. However, in the presence of the pathogen, the level of economic response to fungicide applications is primarily driven by the prevailing environmental conditions and their interactions with crop development and the pathogen. Fungicides are canopy management tools that influence the size and duration of the green leaf area (GLA) of the crop. The total number of fungicide applications links to the length of the growing season and the disease risk in that period. For example, the top three leaves of a wheat ...