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Abstract
Conservation tillage may increase the risk of leaf diseases for Alberta barley producers. A study was undertaken from 1995 to 1997 to assess the impact of the tillage system, crop rotation, and cultivar resistance on levels of scald [Rhynchosporium secalis] and net blotch [Pyrenophora teres] in commercial barley (Hordeum vulgare) fields. Scald and net-blotch levels were assessed in 99, 148, and 91 barley fields in 1995, 1996, and 1997, respectively, throughout Alberta. Fields were classified according to tillage regime (conventional, zero, and minimum tillage), cultivar resistance to both diseases, and crop rotation. The tillage system did not influence the probability of higher levels of scald or net blotch in all 3 years. The previous crop did influence the probability of higher levels of scald in 1995 and 1996; fields previously planted to barley were 3–4 times more likely to have greater scald severity than fields planted to a nonhost crop. The previous crop affected the level of net blotch in 1995 only; fields previously planted to barley were 4.5 times more likely to have increased disease severity compared with fields previously planted to a nonhost. Cultivar resistance to either scald or net blotch was the management factor that most consistently reduced the probability of a higher level of disease. On average, susceptible cultivars were 4–8 and 5–12 times more likely to have higher levels of scald and net blotch, respectively, compared with resistant cultivars.
