An increased number of paddocks effected by crown rot have been detected in Western Australia this season.

Crown rot is a fungal disease that attacks the bottom stems of mostly cereal crops, starving plants of water and creating empty heads or chaff, commonly known as whiteheads.

Farmers are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for the disease as harvest approaches, after some producers reported 30 to 50 per cent yield losses this season.

DAFWA research officer Daniel Huberli says while farmers can't do anything about the disease this year, it's something to keep in mind when planning next year's crop.

"It's quite a big issue and if you combine root diseases and crown rot diseases it's about $105 million a year in yield losses for wheat and barley in WA which is quite significant," he says.

DAFWA and the GRDC are working on trials to discover which varieties do benefit those with potential crown rot problems, with results to be published in the 2016 sowing guides.

Source - http://www.abc.net.au/