Yellowing and reddening of the leaves of a dieback-affected plant. Image – NSW DPI.

MEAT & Livestock Australia has released a new Pasture dieback management guide for producers and agronomists fighting the farm management issue.

The guide– Pasture Dieback – A Management Guide for Producers and Agronomists — brings together the latest information on underlying factors and management strategies.

It was developed in close consultation across the red meat industry to respond to the on-farm challenges presented by pasture dieback.

MLA group manager – productivity & animal wellbeing, David Beatty, said providing access to the latest information and research was an important part of the ongoing response to pasture dieback.

“Our objective is to ensure pasture dieback research and development is focused on finding solutions for those affected by it and to provide valuable, up-to-date information to producers as it comes to hand, from the range of research organisations working on this topic.

“A key focus is supporting the delivery of short-term solutions to feed livestock while a permanent solution to pasture dieback is investigated,” he said.

“The guide contains information for producers and agronomists to detect early symptoms of the condition, what grass species are affected and what research has observed from a range of management strategies, and signposts for more detail.

“Early intervention could stop the disease becoming more widespread, so it’s important for all producers to be aware of what to look for, the importance of maintaining property biosecurity, and who to contact to determine how best to respond,” Mr Beatty said.

The guide was developed in consultation with Applied Horticultural Research (AHR), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland (DAF), University of Queensland (UQ) and AgForce.

This project is jointly funded through Meat & Livestock Australia and the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

A digital copy of Pasture Dieback – A Management Guide for Producers and Agronomists is available from the MLA website.