Evaluation of integrated disease management for malt barley production in bale highlands, South-Eastern Ethiopia

Wubishet Alemu T Bekele Hundi

Abstract

Malt barley is one of the most important cereal crops cultivated in South-eastern Ethiopia. However, the regional production and quality for malt brewery is threatened by major barley diseases among which net blotch caused by (Pyrenophora teres) is the most important one. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the variety, fungicide and their interaction on disease severity, yield and yield related traits in malt barley at four locations, in 2010 belg and meher cropping seasons. The experiment was conducted using three malt barley varieties and four levels of fungicide application in split plot design with three replications. Application of Tilt 250 EC at 7-10 days intervals, two times application at GS30- 31&GS39-41 and one time application at GS39-41 have provided better net blotch management as compared to nil application. Moreover, Tilt 250 EC applied treatments gave grain yield, 1000-kernel weight and hectoliter weight increment in most cases. At least one time fungicide application at GS39- 41 provided effective net blotch management and improved malt barley yield and yield related malt quality parameters. With problems associated with environmental pollution, fungicide cost, labor cost and sprayer renting cost, continuous fungicide application is not recommended though it gave excellent malt barley disease control in most occasions across the years.