Wheat diseases guide.

A new hgca wheat encyclopaedia has been launched to help growers identify and control wheat diseases.

"This new web-based tool will provide growers with information on all the major diseases of wheat ( foliar, seed-borne, root and stem base ( together with information on lesser known diseases such as Tan Spot and Omphalina," said Graham Jellis, HGCA director of research.

The encyclopaedia contains information on the life-cycle of each disease, a description of the hosts affected and their symptoms, a section on control and an extensive photo gallery of symptoms. It also features detailed information, diagrams and images of the important growth stages of wheat. "There is a very useful section giving guidance on the assessment of wheat disease levels for all the major diseases," said Bill Clark of ADAS, who has helped to put the encyclopaedia together.

"The encyclopaedia will help farmers, advisors and students to identify and understand the key diseases of wheat. It will also help farmers and advisers identify unusual symptoms as well as giving guidance on understanding the diseases and their control," said Mr Clark.

The encyclopaedia should be an important reference document for anyone working in arable agriculture and it complements the HGCA Wheat Disease Management Guide 2006 by giving more detailed information about wheat diseases.

The encyclopaedia is available now at www.hgca.com/wde