Across most barley-growing areas, net form net blotch (NFNB) and spot form net blotch (SFNB) are now the most prevalent and damaging foliar diseases in barley.

Systiva^® seed treatment is the best first-up treatment for most growers because its SDHI chemistry establishes net blotch control early and maintains it until GS53–55.

Lots of growers have great Systiva success stories to tell, and you can read a few of them here.

But, as Nutrien Minlaton senior agronomist Angus Calder explains in a new podcast, that outstanding performance has to be protected.

Working on the Yorke Peninsula, where so much barley is grown, Gus has seen the problems that can arise when growers use such an effective treatment as Systiva too intensively: year after year on the same susceptible variety in the same paddock.

 Yet Gus says they are still recommending Systiva to their barley growers for specific paddocks, while “making it pretty clear to people using Systiva that they have to take care of it.”

Gus puts a lot of emphasis on growing a range of barley varieties that are not as susceptible as Spartacus to net blotch infection, and would probably make that number one on his list of resistance management priorities. In all other respects, the approach he describes is well aligned with these four simple ‘steps to success against net blotch’ BASF recommend:

Step 1: Avoid barley on barley

Step 2: Avoid susceptible varieties

Step 3: Rotate fungicidal MoAs

Step 4: Use a foliar follow-up proactively

Angus Calder still rates Systiva as one of the key management tools the local farming community needs in its toolbox. “It’s a great product. With the exception of what we experienced with Spartacus [in 2019], the disease control from Systiva in this part of the world has been excellent and that’s why the uptake… was very rapid.”

Hear the full story from the Yorke Peninsula here.