In this tool our focus is on protecting the yields of your crops through disease identification and control. Our aim is to provide a framework. Firstly, to identify the key diseases and then to provide a plan to control those diseases.

In one way we are fortunate in New Zealand: there are relatively few important diseases. On the other hand, if not effectively controlled, they can all seriously reduce the health of your crop, your yields, crop quality and of course, your profit.

An example is a trial conducted by Bayer at Aorangi (located close to Palmerston North) in spring 2016, in which Bayer watched Septoria leaf blotch (SLB) reduce crop yields by 85%. That’s right, without effective control of Septoria leaf blotch there was a yield loss of close to 8 t/ha!

Another example was a trial near Timaru where Bayer recorded a 6 t/ha yield loss from SLB, even when disease didn’t develop in the crop until quite late in the season.

Bayer is commonly measuring yield losses of 2-4 t/ha due to poor disease control. Preventing this type of yield loss results in very profitable returns.