Disease management and crop protection

This publication contains information to assist growers in understanding how biofumigants work and managing them for optimum efficacy against soilborne diseases.

Biofumigants are a unique type of cover crop that produce compounds with suppression effects on soilborne pathogens, pests and weeds.

This guide also discusses and presents data on a range of agronomic management practices of biofumigant cover crops including pest and diseases, nutrient uptake requirements, irrigation and incorporation methods.

In this edition: Event wrap-ups on the Soil Biology Masterclass and Chinese grower's field day, seasonal climate outlook for August to October 2023, upcoming events and webinars, new demonstration sites confirmed for Victoria and new resources including veg field ID guides, on-farm waste resources and managing carbon on vegetable farms.

This guide enables field identification of the insects, diseases and disorders of Sweet Corn by providing:
- photos
- written description
- damage symptoms
- season when commonly found

In this edition: Veg and melon growers to benefit from Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2, Soil Biology Masterclass registrations, Vic veg innovation days showcases Soil Wealth ICP cover crop trial, Bathurst growers prepare for winter cover crops, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from VIC and new resources from VicVID 2023, Biological Products Database updates, and plant sampling for nutrient analysis webinar recording.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen was on-site at the Victorian Vegetable Innovation Days (VicVID) on 28 April 2023 to deliver two Facebook livestreams of the agrichemical and seed field trial results alongside event organisers and agronomists Stuart Grigg and Connor Steel.

RMCG and AHR have delivered the Soil Wealth ICP project to the Australian vegetable industry on behalf of Hort Innovation. Phase 2 of the project (2017-2022) has now been completed.

Watch this video to find out the highlights from Phase 2 including grower engagement, training and events, demonstration sites, communication products and resources, and progress towards industry outcomes.

This guide summarises and provides easy access to useful resources developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection project from December 2017 to February 2023.

In this episode of InfoVeg TV, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this InfoVeg Radio podcast, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this edition: How to look after your soils for veg production, upcoming events and webinars, precision ag trial case study from Koo Wee Rup, Top 5 resources in 2022 and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Dr Doris Blaesing contributed to the updated Fertcare Plant Sampling Guide, which is now available and includes significant changes to previous sampling notes.

Simplot held its grower R&D updates in August 2022 which provided growers and industry an opportunity to hear more about the 'Lily the Pink' project, a collaboration with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) funded through a direct levy growers agreed with Simplot.

This webinar mini-series focused on area wide management (AWM) strategies to control viruses in lettuce including lettuce mosaic virus (LMV), lettuce necrotic yellows virus (LNYV), lettuce big vein disease (LBVD) and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) with presenter Cliff Kinoti from Agriculture Victoria.

In this edition: Maximising integrated pest management (IPM) practices in protected cropping, taking a whole systems approach to growing veg, high priority pests update, upcoming events and webinars, persistence and attention to detail pay off in IPM approach at Braham Produce, resources on IPM and area wide management of capsicum viruses and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

This webinar mini-series focused on area wide management (AWM) strategies to control viruses in capsicums including tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV) and insect transmission with presenter Denis Persley from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

In this edition: How compost can help to tackle global challenges, new resources on area wide management of vegetable diseases, upcoming events and webinars, AVIS demo site panel discussion video, resources on vegetable and potato disease management and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

This webinar mini-series focused on area wide management (AWM) strategies to control viruses in cucurbits including cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) with researcher Craig Webster from the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

A series of resources are now available on area wide management (AWM) of vegetable diseases.

AWM strategies for vector-borne diseases help to prevent or minimise the development of insecticide resistance in vector populations, improve the efficiency of biological agents released for control of vectors, and better protect host resistance genes against the emergence of resistance-breaking strains of the viruses.

Watch this webinar recording to hear from industry-leading researchers about the key findings and area wide management (AWM) strategies of insect-vectored viral and bacterial diseases of vegetable crops in Australia.

In this edition: Update from Hort Connections 2022, entomology and IPM short courses, upcoming events and webinars, insights from demonstration site growers at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar, biological products resources, onion diseases webinar recording and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Watch the Onion Project webinar recording for an update on current research on key onion diseases including Fusarium basal rot and onion white rot.

In this edition: The importance of soil biodiversity, supporting Tassie researchers, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from New South Wales, cover crop resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this edition: Announcement of our 2022 focus topics, carbon management on vegetable farms webinar recording, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from Western Australia and Victoria, new resources on sorghum cover crops, managing soil-borne diseases in vegetable crops and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this edition: Virtual shed walk showcasing microwave weed technology, demonstration site news from Queensland and Victoria, new resources from the Soil Biology in Vegetable Production Masterclass, a go-to guide on nutrition management resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen braved the windy weather at our Koo Wee Rup demonstration site in Victoria to bring growers a short update on how things were progressing at the site.

Soil Wealth ICP team members Kelvin Montagu and Marc Hinderager look into breakdown of organic matter, agrochemicals and impact on soil biology.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Kelvin Montagu looks at the linkage between key soil functions and soil biology, and the interactions between plant roots and soil biology.

Watch how microwave technology is being developed to assist with integrated crop protection.

In this edition: Soil Biology in Vegetable Production webinar recording, demonstration site news from Cowra, NSW, new resources on potential changes to integrated crop protection, pest management resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this global scan we look at some of the changes affecting the integrated crop protection tools available to vegetable growers by examining what is happening elsewhere, globally and in other sectors.

Integrated crop protection (ICP) takes a holistic approach to plant health. It builds on the principles of integrated pest management (IPM) combined with site-specific soil, nutrition and irrigation management, and decision making based on relevant monitoring data and forecasting.

Watch this webinar recording to hear from international experts and get insights into the European ICP transition.

There are many things we can take for granted, and in vegetable and potato production this can be as simple as nutrition and its impact on a crop from a plant physiology perspective.

However, growers and advisers armed with a deep knowledge of nutrition and its practical application in a crop are better placed to ensure that crop achieves peak production. We spoke to our Partnership Network member Stoller Australia to find out more.

Catch up on Day 2 of the Australian Potato R&D Forum 2021, which focused on soil health and disease management. Speakers and topics included:
• Promoting soil health: How can cover crops and soil amendments improve your soil health and yield? Julie Finnigan (Serve-Ag)
• PREDICTA Pt: How can you identify risks before they become a problem? Michael Rettke (SARDI)
• Update on ‘Investigating soil pH and nutrition as possible factors influencing pink rot in potatoes’: Dr Robert Tegg (TIA)
• Simplot Ag R&D disease-related projects overview: Dr Audrey Leo (Simplot)
• Update on ‘Mechanisms and manipulation of resistance to powdery scab in potato roots’: Professor Calum Wilson (TIA)
• Options and approaches for managing soil borne disease and promoting plant health (Panel session)

In this edition: new weed management guides for growers, an update on Australia's agvet regulatory system review, upcoming events and webinars, demo site news from Tassie, a new guide on preventing leaf and stem diseases and more.

This guide gives a brief overview of plant disease, general methods of transmission and the conditions that foster key diseases of aboveground vegetable plant parts.

AHR’s Marc Hinderager and Soilpack Services’ Ian Packer are teaming up to deliver a webinar on soil organic matter, soil biology and the challenges and complexity of estimating mineralisation rates in soils.

In this edition: choosing the right lime product to manage soil acidification, EGVID2020 celebrated at industry awards, videos available from our Victorian demo sites and new resources on boosting mycorrhizal fungi in vegetable crops.

Vegetable and potato growers across Australia will be familiar with the name E.E. Muir & Sons, a national distributor of agricultural products for crop protection and nutrition with a strong focus on horticulture and irrigated cropping sectors.

What they may not be familiar with are the discussions and collaboration that happen behind the scenes to provide the best information on agronomy, trials and product development to growers.

Vegetable growers and industry members recently came together in South Australia to hear about pest and disease management.

In this edition: a new weed management guide for wild radish in the vegetable industry, nominate a leader in plant health and soil management at the Hort Connections National Awards for Excellence, farm walks to go virtual in Victoria and resources on reduced tillage.

There are many factors that contribute to strong environmental stewardship in the vegetable industry, and improving soil management and plant health is an important component of business sustainability. But when it comes to finding evidence of the strengths and gaps of your growing operation, it can be difficult to know where to start.

This article from our Partnership Network member EnviroVeg explains how the program can help growers identify these opportunities and take action to ensure their vegetable growing business is environmentally responsible.

In this edition: The future of integrated weed management technologies, demonstration site news from NSW and Victoria, new resources on healthy soils, blackleg in potato and drone regulations podcast.

iMapPESTS is a national program of research, development and extension designed to put actionable information into the hands of Australia’s primary producers to enhance on-farm pest management decision-making.

Being part of a grower group has many benefits. It helps to be on the forefront of new developments in vegetable production and talk to other growers to share successes, challenges and support each other with new ideas.

A group of young growers have joined the Warren Improvement Group in Western Australia to provide a fresh focus on improving vegetable production in the Manjimup region. This case study explains more.

In this edition: Good Soils Guide, seasonal outlook for February to April, demonstration site news from Manjimup, Western Australia and Werribee South, Victoria, and new resources on choosing cover crops, organic soil amendments and spray rig calibration.

Wet and warm weather continues in 2021. Most vegetable regions are likely to see warmer and wetter than average conditions.

Vegetable growers in Australia can now access a comprehensive online resource to improve all aspects of soil health on-farm and increase the efficiency and profitability of their businesses.

The Good Soil Guide is a free online encyclopaedia specifically designed for growers and industry to use in the field. The resource was developed in the United Kingdom as a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions and soil scientist Neil Fuller.

In this edition: Focus topics announced for Soil Wealth ICP in 2021, demonstration site news from Richmond, Tasmania and new resources on foliar diseases, nutgrass, integrated weed management and pathogen DNA testing.

An increased awareness of the impact of some long-standing farming practices and community expectations, combined with a greater interest and understanding of alternative systems and products has contributed to the evolution of sustainable vegetable production in Australia.

According to Soil Wealth ICP Partnership Network member and Sustainable Farming Solutions General Manager Steven David, while progress has been made in Australian organic production in particular, there is still room for expansion.

What are the key pests affecting potato production in other countries and what R&D is occurring to better manage them? This scan of international pest and disease research identifies current international research on key potato pests; research previously conducted in Australia on these pests; and useful 'ready to use' resources.

The 2020 class of Agriculture Science Honours students at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture recently presented the findings from their final projects, many of which were relevant to growers in the vegetable industry.

Project VG17012 is focused on identifying the organism(s) that cause internal rot. Management techniques will be developed to prevent infection as well as minimise the risk of sending unacceptable fruit to market.

In this webinar, Dr Jenny Ekman and Dr Len Tesoriero will discuss the project results so far. These include identification of the different fungi cultured from infected fruit, how they vary between growing regions and factors that potentially increase the likelihood of infection.

A new guide is available on the management of powdery scab in potatoes, highlighting key factors that affect the risks of this disease and opportunities for effective disease management.

In this edition: Vegetable Crop Nutrition Masterclass an online success, demonstration site news from Sydney Basin and Cowra, NSW, and new resources on pink rot in potatoes.

In this edition: Get effective R&D support in a remote setting, demonstration site news from Victoria and Bathurst, NSW, and new resources on managing salinity in potato and vegetable production.

The Australian potato industry is committed to building its capacity to respond to potential biosecurity threats. In addition to dedicated farm biosecurity officers and advisers, a range of farm biosecurity planning resources are available for growers, advisers and industry members to access. These resources are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect industry needs.

Join Dr Kelvin Montagu (AHR) and Dr Shane Powell (University of Tasmania) for a webinar on the impacts of cover crops on soil biology where we consider the questions:
• How diverse are biological communities in vegetable soils?
• Do we see differences between sites (Tasmania to Queensland)?
• Do cover crops impact on the microbial communities?
• How do soil properties and management impact on the microbial community?
• What impact do biofumigants have on the soil microbial community?

Watch the Onion Project's interactive and informative webinar with disease specialist, Dr Len Tesoriero.

Practical use of IrriSAT satellite imaging, weather data, and soil moisture sensors.

Irrigation decision making is one of the most significant factors affecting potato yield and quality. Join Dr. Kelvin Montagu and Marc Hinderager from the Soil Wealth / ICP project team discuss the new approaches to managing potato irrigation.

Learn about using the IrriSAT technology which combines evapotranspiration (ETo) and satellite imaging, and how to link this with data from direct soil moisture sensors, to help you schedule irrigation.

Marc and Kelvin discuss a recent case study conducted near Cowra, NSW to illustrate how the methods can work for potatoes.

The Soil Wealth ICP team was pleased to support the 2020 East Gippsland Vegetable Innovation Days (EGVID), which were held from 5-7 May in Lindenow.

Spanning over two hectares, the EGVID demonstration site offered countless rows of more than 20 vegetable crop types and around 2000 different varieties in total, ranging from lettuce and baby leaf varieties to broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and more – all growing strongly (thanks to some recent rainfall) and ready for data capture and dissemination.

During the week, the Soil Wealth ICP team organised live streams of the agri-chemical and seed trials at the site alongside event organisers and agronomists Stuart Grigg and Noel Jansz.

Management of rots, both in the field and post-harvest, is an ongoing challenge for potato producers. Agronomists Marc Hinderager and Dr Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyse discuss a trial that was set up to explore the effect of sanitisers and/or drying on the development of post-harvest bacterial soft rot in potatoes (9 min listen).

Researchers at Applied Horticultural Research (AHR) have been investigating the causes of brown etch on butternut pumpkins. Dr Jenny Ekman and Dr Len Tesoriero will explain how you can predict when brown etch is likely to occur in a crop, and what you can do to control it. They also discuss the new fact sheet that is a must have guide for all pumpkin growers.

Pink rot of potato is an important soil-borne storage disease of potatoes worldwide. It is caused by the fungus Phytophthora erythroseptica and sometimes by P. cryptogea. Pink rot infection is often associated with secondary infection by anaerobic soft rot bacteria.

This fact sheet outlines the symptoms, hosts, risk factors and disease cycle of pink rot, as well as potential management options.

This fact sheet provides an overview, identification, symptoms and economic impact of key viruses infecting Brassicas, including Turnip mosaic virus, Turnip yellows virus, Cauliflower mosaic virus.

Produced by the Hort Innovation project team VG16086 – Area wide management of vegetable diseases: virus and bacteria.

Cucurbits are susceptible to over 50 viruses, a significant number of which cause considerable economic losses in one or more countries.

In this booklet the symptoms, spread and control measures for viruses affecting cucurbits are outlined. The symptoms of many virus diseases are similar and more than one virus may be present in a plant or crop. Virus disease symptoms can also be similar to those caused by nutritional disorders, herbicide damage, insect feeding and environmental influences.

Management of rots, both in the field and postharvest, is an ongoing challenge for potato producers. The issue is usually managed by minimising the time interval between harvesting and processing of potatoes.

This trial was set up to explore the effect of sanitisers and/or drying on the development of rots in potatoes transported for 24 hours at high temperature and high humidity.

Read this research report to find out more about the trial set up and treatments, storage, assessment and key results.

In order to determine the causal agent(s) of capsicum/chilli fruit rot in Australia and to develop effective control measures, we need affected capsicums and chillies from the Australian capsicum and chilli industry.

Soilborne diseases are a major limiting factor for the Australian vegetable industry and are costly and difficult to manage. Previous research has highlighted that practical and economic methods of disease control are limited once a crop has been established. Knowing the disease risk prior to planting allows growers to make informed crop management decisions.

Greenhouse cucumbers can be one of the most productive of all crops. However, this productivity relies on accurate control of irrigation, plant nutrition and the growing environment, as well as effective management of pests and diseases. Only healthy plants can produce a high quality, marketable and profitable crop.

This manual provides basic guidance on growing greenhouse cucumbers. The focus is on modern, controlled environment production. However, much of the included information is relevant to all cucumber growers and, indeed, greenhouse producers more generally.

Vegetable crop diseases are often caused by fungi. Examples of foliar diseases caused by fungi include: downy mildew, powdery mildew and white blister. Examples of soilborne fungal diseases include: clubroot and diseases cause by Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia and Sclerotium species.

Fungicide resistance occurs when a fungicide or active-ingredient that was once effective, becomes no longer effective. It can occur when reduced rates of fungicides are used or when fungicides are over-used.

Read this fact sheet to find out more about detection and effective management.

Bacterial populations such as Xanthomonas spp. causing bacterial leaf spot in tomato and capsicum and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato causing bacterial speck in tomato, often develop copper tolerance. This means they can tolerate higher concentrations of copper than sensitive populations. It doesn’t mean the bacteria are resistant and that copper has no effect.

Read this article from the area-wide management team at Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to find out more about how copper protects plants from bacterial infections, the types of copper products, suggested spray program, as well as futuer research directions.

Although, historically, area wide management (AWM) has been mostly applied to management of insect pests, it also has potential for controlling plant diseases, particularly those with aerial dispersal mechanisms such as insect- vectored viruses and bacteria. This type of management is contrasted with traditional management, essentially by scale and co-ordination. In AWM control tactics are applied over a broad area, incorporating multiple premises to maintain pest and pathogen populations below economic impact levels.

Biosecurity planning provides a mechanism for the vegetable industry, government and other relevant stakeholders to actively determine pests of high priority, analyse the risks they pose and implement procedures to reduce the chance of pests becoming established. AUSVEG delivers a number of extension projects with a core biosecurity focus, in addition to project partners like Plant Health Australia.

What is the latest research and development (R&D) on pest and diseases in the Australian fresh and processing potato industries? How can it help me on-farm?

Read this booklet to find out more from leading researchers on their project goals, what they're doing, the intended benefits for industry and growers, as well as a snapshot of their expertise and background.

Intensive chilli production systems are susceptible to soilborne diseases, such as Sclerotium rolfsii, especially during the summer months.

This summary reports the results from a 2017 field trial that aimed to examine if reducing plant density can reduce soilborne disease incidence and/or improve marketable yields in chilli crops. Spacing can have a substantial effect on relative disease pressure, yield and gross margin.

Farm biosecurity is an intergral part of crop protection and plant health. Learn more about this set of measures designed to protect a property from the entry and spread of pests and diseases.

A preliminary field trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of chemical and biological control treatments for damping off pathogens in spinach. We demonstrated that three fungicide treatments significantly reduced the area of diseased plants, however, they did not significantly increase spinach yield compared to untreated controls. This is most likely due to other variables affecting plant growth in the trial area.

This report presents findings from a grower led, on-farm demonstration trial. Grower led pilot trials provide preliminary feasibility assessments of new practices. They can lead to on-farm adaptation of practices and/or replicated research trials to rigorously test assumptions made because of initial findings.

The series, produced by Greater Sydney Local Land Services, Applied Horticultural Research and VegNET NSW helps growers explore how to implement protected cropping on their growing operations.

Clubroot is one of the most destructive diseases of brassicas globally. Although it was detected in Australia as early as the 1890s, Plasmodiophora brassicae, the pathogen that produces clubroot, caused widespread loss during the 1980s and 1990s due to increasing brassica production and use of transplants.

Read this fact sheet to find out more about why clubroot is a problem, what to do about it, costs, as well as future directions for research.

Recycled organics (compost) is a commercially viable source of composted organic matter that does not contain animal manures, and is now being used successfully on vegetable farms in NSW.

Rob Niccol from Australian Native Landscapes and Dr Kelvin Montagu from AHR discuss the value proposition of recycled organics and explain how the compost can be successfully integrated into vegetable farming in Australia.

This project is supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority as part of Waste Less, Recycle More, funded from the waste levy.

Redback spiders love a hot, dry summer ...

From April to June is ‘redback season', where consumer complaints about redback spiders in broccoli are most likely to surface on social media near you.

Where do they come from? Why are they here? And, most importantly, What can I do about it? These questions and more will be answered by an AHR Webinar featuring Dr Jenny Ekman.

A short video presented by Dr Len Tesoriero on the identification, causes and management of summer root rot.

A short video presented by Dr Len Tesoriero on the identification, causes and management of club root.

A short video presented by Dr Len Tesoriero on the identification, causes and management of bottom rot.

A short video presented by Dr Len Tesoriero on the identification, causes and management of black rot.

A short video presented by Dr Len Tesoriero on the identification, causes and management of big vein.

A short video presented by Dr Len Tesoriero on the identification, causes and management of basal plate rot.

Fusarium is a genus of common soilborne fungi. Most live as saprophytes on decaying plant matter while a few are also important plant pathogens.

While there are many different pathogenic Fusarium species, some of the most damaging diseases are caused by strains of one species complex, Fusarium oxysporum. They cause vascular wilt diseases by entering the roots and colonising the water-conducting tissue (xylem). This causes older leaves to yellow and plants eventually wilt and die.

For more information read this practical fact sheet on fusarium wilt diseases, factors that favour fusarium diseases, and management strategies.

Clubroot is one of the most potentially devastating soil borne diseases affecting brassica vegetables (e.g. cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts) in Australia. Once plants are infected there are no effective control measures.

Read this fact sheet to find out more about identifying clubroot, clubroot management strategies including integrated approaches, as well as evaluating clubroot risk.

Soilborne diseases pose a significant threat to vegetable crop health and losses. Disease pressure and prevalence is influenced by a number of factors including block selection, crop rotation, varieties, nutrition, irrigation and fumigation.

Watch this informative and practical session to get the latest updates from Dr Michael Rettke, South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Dr Doris Blaesing, RMCG.

Sclerotinia rot, also known as white mould, is one of the major diseases of green beans in Australia. Sclerotinia rot can cause significant yield losses during the cropping season as well as post-harvest damage.

Read this fact sheet to discover more about identyfing slerotinia, management options, important irrigation timings and further reading.

Demonstration site report prepared for VG15010 A Multi-faceted approach to soilborne disease management by Francis Tedesco, Center West Exports, Justin Wolfgang, C-Wise, Doris Blaesing, RMCG

A large-scale compost trial was conducted with Center West Export (CWE) and C-Wise in the Gingin area of Western Australia (WA).

This report presents the methodology, key findings and recommendations from the trial, including an in-depth desktop review of the main Pythium species affecting carrots in Australia identified as P. sulcatum (in most cases) and P. violae (in some cases).

Article by Len Tesoriero

A group of Australian growers and industry representatives recently attended the 4th biennial international spinach conference in Mercia, Spain. Among the wide range of topics presented they heard about research on key diseases with a strong emphasis on those affecting crops across Europe and North America. Some of these diseases pose a significant biosecurity risk to Australian producers while others are already affecting local crops.

Article by Stuart Grigg and Carl Young

February 14 and 15 2018 saw the International Spinach Conference converge on the Northern Hemisphere’s winter vegetable growing hub of Murcia, Spain. A contingent of 14 spinach enthusiasts from Australia comprising growers and industry representatives attended the conference and associated production tour facilitated by EGVID Pty Ltd. The largest spinach stakeholders globally attended the International Spinach Conference which has previously been held in the US, Europe and China to discuss the latest trends and issues the industry faces.

Chemicals play an important role in vegetable production and are regularly used to control insect pests, diseases and weeds.

Watch this informative and interactive one-hour webinar to get the latest updates from vegetable industry experts in Australia.

Short report by Len Tesoriero and Donna Lucas

A preliminary field trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of chemical and biological control treatments for damping off pathogens in spinach. We demonstrated that three fungicide treatments significantly reduced the area of diseased plants within beds, however, they did not significantly increase overall spinach yield compared to untreated controls. This is most likely due to other variables affecting plant growth in the trial area.

Plant biosecurity is a series of measures that aid in protecting production areas from harmful insects, weeds, and various plant diseases.

Watch this informative and interactive one-hour webinar to get the latest updates from vegetable industry experts in Australia.

Watch this webinar recording to learn about the latest techniques in managing the soilborne disease Fusarium wilt in vegetable crops including solanaceous, legumes, cucurbits and sweet potatoes and to understand the latest ways of managing this disease to keep your plants in production for longer and improve yield and pack out rates.

This guide summarises useful information developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) Phase 1 projects from 2014-2017, and where to find it. These resources are relevant to all major vegetable growing regions in Australia. The resources developed includes fact sheets (51), case studies (12), videos and apps (36), e-newsletters (32 editions), as well as demonstration site information. The main topics covered by these resources include crop management, pest and disease management, and soil, nutrition and compost.

All the resources in this guide can be found on this project website.

The Soil Wealth ICP team sat down with InfoVeg TV to chat about the project and its aim to communicate information about soil management and plant health to Australian vegetable growers to help the industry grow sustainably using healthy soils.

This webinar with Nematode specialist Dr Sarah Collins from Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA focused on the pest nematode, outlining the life cycles of the root-knot and root-lesion nematodes and how this can be used to target control measures.

The webinar also covered beneficial free living nematodes and how these can be managed and used as soil health indicators.

Members of the Soil Wealth and ICP team were recently interviewed for the Potatoes Australia magazine. The key message? Many of the soil health and plant protection practices relevant to vegetables, also apply to potatoes.

Click through to read the article.

Issues with damping off in spinach? This useful fact sheet provides an overview of the symptoms and conditions that favour different pathogens causing damping off such as Pythium spp, Phytophthora spp, Fusarium spp and Rhizoctonia spp. Knowing the causal pathogen can aid selection of effective management and control strategies.

There's also handy information on how the fungi spread, susceptibility and severity, diagnosis, and how to manage damping off, including practices to keep in your 'toolbox'.

The Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects provide R&D extension services, products and communication on improved soil management and plant health to the Australian vegetable industry.

From 2014 to 2017, RMCG and AHR have delivered the projects for Horticulture Innovation Australia. Phase 1 of the projects have now been completed. So, what’s been achieved?

A webinar on nutrition management and plant disease presented by Dr Len Tesoriero as part of the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects.

Modern crop protection chemistry such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, is crucial to farming in Australia and around the world. These essential products and tools are a core foundation to food production and their safe and sustainable use is of critical importance.

Find out more by reading this useful best practice guide developed by CropLife Australia.

A webinar on biofumigation cover crops presented by Julie Finnigan and Dr Kelvin Montagu as part of the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects.

Read this great summary of carrot disorders to better understand what may be affecting your carrot packout. This includes corky brown rot, cavity spot, sclerotinia rot and violet root.

This poster was prepared by By Dr. Hoong Pung & Pam Cox, Serve-Ag Research in Tasmania.

Blindness occurs when the main apical shoot or growing tip of the lettuce is lost during the seedling’s early growth. It is also sometimes called multiple heading or apical meristem decline.

This fact sheet covers key information, such as:
- How much of a problem is this disorder?
- What does a blind lettuce look like?
- What causes blindness?
- How to control blindness.

How to control Pythium in vegetable crops with Dr Len Tesoriero. Video of a Webinar run on the 31st March 2016 with DR Len Tesoriero (NSW DPI) and Dr Kelvin Montagu from AHR.

Vegetable pathologist, Dr Len Tesoriero and AHRs Dr Kelvin Montagu, recently presented a highly successful webinar on how to manage the soil borne disease Pythium in vegetable crops.

The webinar was recorded, and is now available as a YouTube video. You can click on the link below to watch the full Webinar. You can also download the presentation and follow the link to an ICP factsheet on how to manage soil borne disease in vegetable crops.

This easy to read fact sheet provides information on control options (both chemical and non-chemical) for high priority pests in capsicums and chillies. This fact sheet is the last in a series of seven publications that provide details on the currently registered and permitted pesticides for key diseases, insects and weeds in your crop.

This easy to read fact sheet provides information on control options (both chemical and non-chemical) for high priority pests in lettuce. This fact sheet is the sixth in a series of seven publications that provide details on the currently registered and permitted pesticides for key diseases, insects and weeds in your crop.

This easy to read fact sheet provides information on control options (both chemical and non-chemical) for high priority pests in cucumbers. This fact sheet is the fifth in a series of seven publications that provide details on the currently registered and permitted pesticides for key diseases, insects and weeds in your crop.

This easy to read fact sheet provides information on control options (both chemical and non-chemical) for high priority pests in celery. This fact sheet is the fourth in a series of seven publications that provide details on the currently registered and permitted pesticides for key diseases, insects and weeds in your crop.

Soil-borne diseases are a major threat to vegetable production and now a new project is tackling the problem.

This easy to read fact sheet provides information on control options (both chemical and non-chemical) for high priority pests in brassica vegetable crops. This fact sheet is the second in a series of seven publications that provide details on the currently registered and permitted pesticides for key diseases, insects and weeds in your crop.

This easy to read fact sheet provides information on control options (both chemical and non-chemical) for high priority pests in brassica leafy vegetable crops. This fact sheet is the first in a series of seven publications that provide details on the currently registered and permitted pesticides for key diseases, insects and weeds in your crop.

Anthracnose is a foliage disease of lettuce that causes significant crop losses in iceberg, cos and babyleaf lettuce. It is an intermittent disease in Australia, driven mainly by extended periods of wet weather, particularly in mild-cool wet periods, during which crop losses can be severe. This fact sheet outlines control options available to Australian lettuce growers to control anthracnose.

This Agnote developed by the Northern Territory Government describes the technique of grafting snake beans to control Fusarium wilt.

Vegetable growers and advisors discuss how attending a master class has changed the way they manage soilborne diseases and influenced their business.

Vegetable growers and advisors talk about how implementing integrated crop protection and new soil management practices has changed their business.

This vegenote provides useful information on how to identify white blister and options for managing the disease.

Tobamoviruses—tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMV) — are stable and highly infectious viruses that are very easily spread from plant to plant by contact. These viruses can survive for long periods in crop debris and on contaminated equipment. Although these viruses affect field crops, they are more often a problem in greenhouse crops where plants are generally grown at a higher density and handled more frequently.

Biofumigation is the use of specialised cover crops, which are grown, mulched and incorporated into the soil prior to cropping. High biomass, especially roots, can provide the traditional benefits of green manure crops, and if done right, naturally occurring compounds from the biofumigant plants can suppress soil-borne pests, diseases and weeds.

The guide to common diseases & disorders of bunching vegetables (2003, 58 pages) was produced by the R&D levy funded project VG010045. The diseases and disorders listed in this book often occur on bunching vegetables in Australia and several can occur on plants at the same time.

This "Guide to Common Diseases of Parsley" (2006, 46 pages), describes 18 parsley diseases and disorders common across Australia. Symptoms are clearly shown in over 30 colour photos and practical control measures are suggested.

Authors
Elizabeth Minchinton, Len Tesoriero, Desmond Auer, Heidi Martin

Many carrot and celery diseases and disorders also affect parsley and several can occur on plants at the same time. This guide was produced by the R&D levy funded project VG04025.

The popularity of Asian vegetables has increased in recent years amongst consumers with a range of uses, including salad and baby leaf mixes. With increased demand has come the need to manage losses caused by pests and disease. Critical to the successful management of pest and diseases in any vegetable crop, is an understanding of the main pests and diseases known to affect each crop

Powdery mildew has been found on a carrot crops in three states of Australia. The first finding of the disease was in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) of New South Wales in 2007. It has subsequently been found in Tasmania and South Australia in 2008. While the organism causing the disease is commonly found in parsnip crops, powdery mildew has not previously been recorded on carrots in Australia.

Four page fact sheet on managing diseases of carrots.

New management strategies for lettuce drop and white mould of beans.

This booklet provides concise information on the biology of both tospoviruses and their thrips vectors. This information is then related to the range of integrated methods that may be used to reduce the damage from both insect and virus.

This technical reference note has been produced by Denis Persley and Cherie Gambley (DEEDI) as part of Horticulture Australia Limited project VGO 7128-Integrated management of virus diseases in vegetables.

Helpful four page fact sheet on integrating pest management in lettuce.

This website contains a series of documents to guide you through the successful prodution of lettuce.

This helpful fact sheet outlines the key information required to get the best out of your chemical application.

Want to regain control over chemical-resistant pests? Aiming to reduce costs while meeting quality assurance requirements? The Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) extension team has developed a series of five fact sheets to assist growers manage Mega Pests.

Want to regain control over chemical-resistant pests? Aiming to reduce costs while meeting quality assurance requirements? The Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) extension team has developed a series of five fact sheets to assist growers manage Mega Pests.

This website contains a series of documents to guide you through the successful prodution of Brassica crops.

This website contains a series of documents to guide you through the successful prodution of sweet corn.

The key messages of this fact sheet are:
- Plant resistant varieties.
- Irrigate crops in the morning to reduce leaf wetness and infection.
- Manage nutrients as they impact on disease.
- Use disease forecasting models when cropping susceptible varieties.

Specialists in all areas of brassica production, including insect, disease, nematode, weed and virus have combined to pool current knowledge on best practice IPM principles.

Rather than prescriptive rules for each problem, the information provides knowledge and general principles that you can use to plan for an integrated approach to crop production.

This document incorporates information essential for the economic and sustainable control of sclerotinia in lettuce.

The following document incorporates information essential for economic and sustainable control of sclerotinia in green beans.

This guide has been produced in conjunction with participating greenhouse growers to provide a practical guide to help you to economically and effectively introduce preventative and integrated control strategies to manage pests and diseases in your greenhouses.

Viruses are a major cause of loss in many Australian vegetable crops. Often the intricate relationships between the virus, host plants and the vector, or carrier, create problems in developing effective management systems. This reference note provides information on plant viruses and how they are transmitted, and lists viruses of importance to the Australian vegetable industry.

This book provides a diagnostic guide and a key reference for diseases affecting vegetable crops in Australia.

Cadmium is a widespread, naturally occurring, element that is present in soils, rocks, waters, plants and animals. It is crucial to limit our long-term exposure to cadmium, as it can accumulate in humans and high levels can affect human health.

This article originally published in Vegenotes, provides an insight into managing cadmium in vegetable production.