During the development of Aviator Xpro it became apparent that its use led to significant improvements in green leaf retention.
 

Crops treated with Aviator Xpro looked much greener and stayed greener for longer leading to very useful yield increases even when disease levels were low.
 

Trials also showed that when Aviator Xpro treated crops faced reduced water availability they were able to cope much more effectively.
 

When farmers apply Aviator Xpro, especially now, at GS39 – GS45, when the flag leaf has emerged, they are providing their crops with a total plant health package, controlling all of the important diseases of wheat and barley while at the same time ensuring they are in the best of health.
 

A Bayer trial in Canterbury carried out in 2014 showed that applying Aviator Xpro to a crop with little disease presence resulted

in a 1.7 t per ha yield increase. Good supportive evidence that plant health benefits are well worth having.
 

With the flag leaf either emerging or fully emerged on winter planted wheat and barley it is now very important disease is fully controlled.
 

For wheat get it wrong now and there are no second chances. The flag leaf is responsible for producing a large part of a crop’s

yield and if disease is allowed to infect the flag leaf yields will be seriously reduced.
 

While disease levels are low this year it is possible to find Septoria leaf blotch lesions that are actively sporulating in the base of
the crop.
 

With irrigators now on these spores are going to be moved around the canopy and the humidity is ideal for disease development.
 

Temperatures are warming up which creates the ideal conditions for leaf rust to develop. An application of Aviator Xpro now will protect the flag leaf from Septoria leaf blotch and leaf rust, as well as any stripe rust that might be developing unseen.
 

For autumn and winter planted barley the focus is on controlling Ramularia leaf spot. This disease grows unseen from planting until flag leaf emergence when it suddenly becomes visible and proceeds to rapidly rob your crops of green leaf.
 

While not fully understood, triggers for Ramularia development are stress and sugar production within the plant. With crops having raced through growth stages and non-irrigated paddocks becoming very dry, crops are really becoming stressed, ideal conditions for Ramularia.
 

Trials carried by Bayer in Canterbury examining the control of Ramularia with Aviator Xpro have shown that effective control can

be achieved with applications between GS37-45 with the most effective control resulting from a GS39 application.
 

Whether farmers are controlling disease on autumn/winter planted wheat or barley now is the time to ensure they have everything fully under control.