Winter grain crop diseases such as Fusarium crown rot are a major constraint to the $8 billion NSW grains industry, with an estimated cost to growers of $350 million each year. Now, NSW grain growers will benefit from two new projects focused on crop protection and biosecurity in the grains sector.

Working in partnership with the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), NSW DPI leads a $2.47 million, three-year project to improve central and southern NSW growers’ understanding and management of Fusarium crown rot.

Fusarium crown rot is the largest soil borne biotic threat to winter cereals, particularly wheat, and yet many growers don’t recognise that the disease can result in 5 to 20% yield loss.

By 2025, growers will have the knowledge to make on-farm decisions that reduce the risk of economic losses to Fusarium crown rot.

GRDC has also committed $1.5 million to NSW DPI’s successful real-time disease surveillance and diagnostics service direct to growers.

Both projects will benefit growers and contribute to ongoing research and development to reduce the effects of winter crop diseases.

This investment follows on from the successful $64.6 million Grains Agronomy and Pathology Partnership, which has delivered 58 research projects to help improve profitability and sustainability in the grains industry.

Completed in June 2022, the five-year collaboration between NSW DPI and GRDC has delivered immense benefits for growers and the Australian grains industry, boosting business productivity and long-term savings and returns.

Projects like NSW DPI’s research-based plant diagnostic service, which enables growers to identify and manage diseases early, and will return $20 million to the industry over the next 10 years.

And innovative phenology research to create optimal flowering period targets by area to pinpoint the best cereal sowing and flowering times, which will return $23 million to industry once adopted.

These research wins were celebrated in June 2022 to showcase the hard work and effort of researchers, reviewing what has been delivered for growers and exploring emerging issues and future opportunities.

Ongoing research will ensure NSW growers have the right advice to increase farm efficiency and boost profitability through improved on-farm cropping practices.

Future projects to address the challenges facing grain growers will include investments in national biosecurity and crop protection diagnostics and surveillance and a soils, agronomy and farming systems initiative.