Spotting the hard to pin-down ramularia in barley is the subject of new video from the AHDB.

Developed primarily to help train Recommended List trial managers, it features SRUC’s Neil Havis, who explains how to tell ramularia lesions apart from other foliar symptoms and how to score symptom severity.

In December, AHDB said it had suspended disease ratings for ramularia because of the strong and poorly understood influence of the environment on disease development in crops and this year, it plans to run specific ramularia trials to improve understanding of the disease. The training video will help standardise the disease assessment procedure.

Catherine Garman, who manages disease research at AHDB, said: “It’s essential that all RL trials are assessed in the same way. Ramularia is particularly difficult to identify and score. This video will help ensure our trials are assessed to the highest possible standards.”