Tackling rhizoctonia in the root zone remains the best strategy when establishing wheat and barley, especially when there’s UNIFORM®.  In trials as recent as 2018, there’s been more than a 20% difference between wheat planted with UNIFORM, and without.

The replicated plot trial in York, Western Australia, also pitched UNIFORM against other fungicides, in a site inoculated to ensure even and high disease pressure.

A visual assessment of plants 87 days after sowing showed significant impacts to the roots on those control plots (see table below).

Visually, the best performing plants had received a split application of UNIFORM, 200ml/ha surface banded and 200ml/ha in-furrow.

The harvest data supported that visual assessment. While the untreated plots averaged 3.08 t/ha the split UNIFORM application boosted the yield to 3.75 t/ha; a better than 20% improvement.

Other important trial observations were that:

• The next highest yields were achieved by applying VIBRANCE on the seed in combination with UNIFORM in-furrow. The average yield improvement of these treatments averaged close to 12% above the untreated.
• VIBRANCE seed treatments were seen to significantly reduce rhizoctonia severity on the primary roots, in particular at the higher application rate (360 mL/I00kg-seed). At the 360mL rate, this market-leading product will also provide control of a range of bunts and smuts in wheat, as well as pythium root rot.
• The addition of in-furrow or surface banded applications provided the lowest primary and lateral root severity.

According to Syngenta Solutions Development Lead, Ben Parkin, rhizoctonia can be a vexing problem for growers and can be a real challenge to manage.

The most common form in broadacre farming systems, Rhizoctonia solani AG8, has a wide crop and weed host range.

“There are limited rotational options,” Ben said. “At present no resistant cereal cultivars exist and the fungus can grow and survive in the soil on organic residues, even without a live plant host.”

Widespread adoption of conservation tillage has reportedly compounded the problem. Traditional faming systems that relied on tillage seemed to provide some control by breaking up the network of rhizoctonia hyphae in the soil.

The registration of UNIFORM was the result of a successful collaborative research project between Syngenta, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, the University of South Australia and the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.

Visit the Syngenta website: Discover how to use UNIFORM on your farm.