Keep a careful watch out for signs of Powdery mildew in cereals ahead of planning your T0 applications this spring.

With relatively mild winter temperatures so far and plenty of moisture present in lower leaves of forward, early-sown autumn drilled crops, cereal growers should stay alert to the threat of Powdery mildew in susceptible varieties of winter wheat and winter barley this spring. A number of growers and agronomists are starting to report mildew pustules present in crops this month according to Will Ridgwell, Commercial Manager, Clayton Plant Protection.

Without the very low temperatures and frosts needed to stop inoculum levels increasing, mildew could keep increasing in crops as we head into the early March period. Clayton Plant Protection would advise growers to check and assess disease risk in their winter wheat crops in mid-March ahead of the first T0 fungicide timing, especially where mildew susceptible varieties are being grown.  Where active pustules are present in numbers, a specific mildewicide may be necessary at T0 to control the disease alongside a triazole-based fungicide for Yellow rust and Septoria control. There are also currently a number of susceptible two and six-row winter barley varieties on the recommended list with low mildew rating scores, which will need very close monitoring, and a specific mildewicide will likely need to be included at the T0 timing where disease is active.

Good, targeted standalone mildewicide options for growers at T0 are Clayton Midas^® and Clayton Roulette^®, both containing 50g cyflufenamid. Prothioconazole also provides some reasonable protectant activity on mildew in both wheat and barley crops, with Clayton Tuskar^® (250g prothioconazole) or co-formulations Clayton Navaro^® and Clayton Trellis^® good product choices. Early planning and effective treatment of mildew at T0 applications could help prevent bigger problems for growers in crops at the later T1 timing.