There have been two introductions of wheat stripe rust into Australia. These introductions may have entered Australia on clothing. The first introduction occurred in Victoria in 1979, and stripe rust rapidly spread across eastern Australia. This original rust mutated, and a number of pathotypes (also known as races or strains) developed enabling the rust to...

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) is an important stubble borne foliar disease of wheat in Victoria, Australia. This disease has increased in importance in the high rainfall cropping regions during the last five years, even though it has been well controlled in Victoria for the last 30 years through the use of partially resistant wheat varieties...

Scald is a common foliar disease in Victorian barley crops as the majority of current varieties are susceptible. Scald severity varies greatly from crop to crop depending on variety resistance, paddock history and local climate. Scald is more likely to be a problem when a susceptible barley variety is sown into infected stubble from a...

Stem rust is an occasional, but devastating disease of wheat. Epidemics occur when there is a carry over of stem rust from the previous season, susceptible varieties of wheat are grown, and warm humid conditions in the spring encourage disease development.

Variety selection and robust disease management plans are critical to minimising the impact of diseases in cereal crops. The Victorian Cereal Disease Guide provides the latest information on disease management and the disease resistant ratings for cereal crops.