Growth of the fusarium crown rot pathogen in post harvest cereal stubble over a summer fallow, Breeza 2019–20

Abstract

Key findings • The fusarium crown rot pathogen (Fusarium pseudograminearum (Fp)) can, over a summer fallow, grow vertically to the height the cereal stubble was cut at harvest. It can progress further in taller stubble (i.e. 25 cm or 38 cm above ground level i.e., harvest height) versus stubble cut shorter. • Pathogen growth was restricted at or after harvest by cutting the stubble shorter (i.e., 13 cm harvest height). • Altering harvest height of cereal crops can affect stubble-borne pathogen dispersal such as Fp during the subsequent harvest of lower stature crops, such as chickpea. Any implications this has on the disease risk for successive cereal crops within a rotation sequence is yet to be determined. • Cereal stubble management treatments did not significantly affect soil moisture levels after a summer fallow or the following chickpea break crop performance in 2020 at Breeza.