Disease in Winter oats, April 2019

We are not seeing much in the way of mildew coming through in reports as yet and it is one of the major targets of fungicides used in winter oats. Other disease can be important too and the oat form of septoria (Septoria avenae) is common in crops. Crown rust is sporadic and luckily not that common but is also a potential risk. That broader basket of diseases is one reason why broader spectrum fungicides tend to do well in oat programmes targeting stem extension.  Oats are very prone to stress after a spray too so take care with timing fungicides so as to avoid frosts or any other extremes of temperature or heat.