According to the Grain Industry Association of WA, growers set a new state record last year planting more than a million hectares of canola.

However, canola crops have been found to support larger populations of the root disease pythium, making the disease a major consideration for WA growers in the coming year.

Pythium is a major root disease that is widespread but often goes undetected.

Given favourable conditions, it can attack seedlings early and cause setbacks from which the crop never recovers.

Dandaragan farmer Peter Negus, planted 400 hectares of canola last year and is taking measures to ensure pythium doesn't affect this year's wheat crop.

"Two thirds of our program will be wheat this year, so following canola we're taking measures to make sure the seed is protected from pythium," Mr Negus said.

"All the wheat is treated with Vibrance at full label rates by Hannaford Seed Grading."

The move to Vibrance comes following pale patches developing and some plant death in a June-sown Mace wheat paddock last year, after it initially looked good.

Mr Negus said he considered re-sowing but wanted to identify the problem first.

Not thinking initially of root disease, he investigated possible waterlogging or herbicide damage.

"We checked all the herbicide rates and those were fine. The area wasn't waterlogged and we were running out of options.

"Susie Mason from Elders came out with Brett Beard from Summit and we tested for root disease, and the results came back positive for pythium.

"The cause could be attributed to a change in seed treatments implemented for the first time last season.

"We'd always used Dividend but decided to try Evergol. What we hadn't considered was that Dividend is registered for pythium and we lost that protection.

"We'd pretty well never heard of pythium and we really didn't consider it was an issue for us until we got the pythium damage in the Mace.

"What we like about Vibrance is that it gives us protection against smuts and bunts and pythium, as well as controlling rhizoctonia."

Vibrance can be used in wheat, barley, oats and triticale. It also controls loose smut, bunts, flag smut and seed borne net blotch.

Source - http://www.centraladvocate.com.au/