TWO upcoming online sessions are seeking to help broadacre farmers get ahead of crop diseases for next year’s season.
Run by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, or GRDC, the pair of sessions set for October will look at picking canola varieties and an update on net blotch.
The first event is titled Choosing canola varieties for 2027 and is set for Friday 9 October from 2pm.
“This webinar will help growers and advisers use what they have seen in canola crop during 2026, including disease pressure, lodging and maturity performance, to inform variety and disease management decisions for 2027,” a GRDC spokesperson said.
Speakers include Dr Angela Van de Wouw from Marcroft Grains Pathology and Dr Kurt Lindbeck of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and focus on issues like end-of-season crop assessments, variety choice and sowing options, and disease resistance.
“The session will also cover considerations when switching cultivars, how variety choice fits within an integrated disease management strategy rather than relying on fungicides alone, and a practical guide to what to look at now and what information to have on hand before choosing a 2027 variety,” said the GRDC spokesperson.
The second session is called Net blotch resistance and management: practical insights for 2027 and features speakers like Dr Lisle Snyman from Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries, Dr Tara Garrard of the South Australian Research and Development Institute and Dr Nola D’Souza from the Centre for Crop and Disease Management.
Taking place on Friday 23 October, and also from 2pm, the session focuses on the fungal pathogen that can impact a wide variety of crops.
“This webinar will provide an update on net blotch following the 2026 season, including regional disease observations, the latest fungicide resistance findings and new NFNB (Net Form Net Blotch) trial research,” the GRDC spokesperson said.
“The session will also cover why fungicides alone can’t fully protect crops under high disease pressure, the importance of varietal diversity, the role of infected stubble in carrying risk into the next season, and priority actions to take before 2027, including accessing updated information through the PRIM website.”
To register for both or either session head to the GRDC website.