Professor Oliver is deputy chair of Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Western Region Panel and director of the Australian Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens (ACNFP) at Murdoch University.

As a key component of crop protection strategies, fungicides cost Australian growers about $150 million a year, with many using three or more treatments on a crop.

Nearly all the fungicides used in WA are from the same mode-of-action group: the triazoles, otherwise known as group 3 or DMIs.

Professor Oliver said experience in Europe suggests some fungal diseases are developing dangerous resistance to this group of fungicides, so he’s asking WA grain growers to be vigilant and contribute to a nationally coordinated project, initiated by ACNFP, to address the risk of fungicide resistance.

"We want to know if there are any cases of fungicide escape by fungal pathogens of grain and we’re looking for fungal disease that occurs soon after full-rate treatment with fungicides such as Alto, Garrison, Opus, Jockey, Tilt or Folicur," he said.

Growers identifying "escapees" should, in the first instance, contact Professor Oliver, Email roliver@murdoch.edu.au or Tel 9360 7404.

Fungicide escape is most likely to occur for powdery mildew of barley and wheat, wheat yellow spot and barley net blotch.

Cereal rusts have no known history of fungicide resistance anywhere in the world.

Fungi from lesions or pustules on efficiently sprayed leaves are sought.

The ACNFP has established laboratory methods to measure the sensitivity to key fungicides of fungal isolates from the most at-risk species.

Professor Oliver said air-dried leaves with wheat yellow spot, Septoria nodorum and barley net-blotch could be posted in paper envelopes, with details of site, cultivar and fungicide, to Kasia Rybak at ACNFP, Health Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, WA 6150.

In the case of powdery mildew, growers should request a sealed tube from ACNFP, Tel 9360 7404, before posting leaf samples.

Professor Oliver said fungicide resistance was potentially a very significant problem, but lessons learnt overseas and here with herbicide resistance would stand WA growers in good stead.

He suggested growers alternate available mode-of-action groups and strongly recommended they use full label rates and genetically resistant cultivars when available.