Impact of fungicide programmes on the performance of cereals and oilseeds varieties (scoping review)

Most crops in the AHDB Recommended Lists (RL) yielded trials are treated with a robust fungicide programme to minimise disease and help reveal each variety’s genetic potential. However, the RL also has ‘untreated’ (no fungicide) yielded trials to help generate varietal resistance data for numerous diseases.

In 2022, AHDB launched a review of the RL project that identified a need for varietal performance information that better reflects more commercially typical inputs, including fungicides.

Farms face a complex mix of disease pressures, so it is a challenge to define a ‘typical’ commercial fungicide programme for use within UK variety trials.

This high-level scoping review will provide an overview of the evidence for any significant changes to the performance of varieties of cereals and oilseeds when trialled with various fungicide programmes.

The work will inform the development of resources for farmers to help them select and manage varieties for their farming systems.

Specifically, it will:

Collate sources of information on varietal responses to fungicides

This component will collate reports, scientific papers and datasets (including from breeders and agrochemical manufacturers) on the impact of fungicide input levels on the performance of cereals and oilseeds. It is anticipated that more information will be available for the major RL crops.

Review the sources of information on varietal responses to fungicides

This part will review the sources identified above. It will include the consideration of dose-response on yield and quality parameters. It will also indicate the robustness of the sources of evidence (in a UK context).

The relative performance of a variety depends on the intensity of the fungicide programmes, with variety ranking differing between treated and untreated trials. The extent to which the variety ranking alters with fungicide intensity is unclear. Although complex, mathematical models could be used to help predict the outcome of variety x fungicide interactions. The potential of such models will be considered.

Prepare a final project report

The final report will include:

• A bibliography (highlighting the collated information sources)
• An overview of methodologies and trial designs suitable for the assessment of varietal performance under various fungicide programmes
• A summary of key findings and knowledge gaps