Weather will dictate decisions when dealing with ramularia

摘要

Barley growers should be aware of the weather conditions that favour the fungus responsible for causing ramularia leaf spot, as they have the biggest effect on the disease's impact.Ramularia - which has the ability to go undetected for much of the season - needs moisture in the leaf to grow inside the plant, making warm and wet conditions perfect for its development.That key requirement explains why there haven't been widespread problems for the past two years, as consecutive dry springs limited the pathogen's development, says Neil Havis, crop protection team leader at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC).