Guess the Pest!

Bill Cissel, Extension Agent – Integrated Pest Management; bcissel@udel.edu

Congratulations to Chris Cawley for identifying the disease in this past week’s Guess the Pest and for being selected to be entered into the end of season raffle for $100 not once but five times. Everyone else who guessed correctly will also have their name entered into the raffle. Chris will also receive a FREE copy of A Farmer’s Guide to Corn Diseases. Click on the Guess the Pest logo below to participate in this week’s Guess the Pest! For Guess the Pest #8, we will also be giving away A Farmer’s Guide To Corn Diseases ($29.95 value) to one lucky participant.

http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/book/cornfarmersguide/

Guess the Pest Week #7 Answer: Stripe RustNathan Kleczewski, Extension Specialist – Plant Pathology; nkleczew@udel.edu; @Delmarplantdoc

 

Stripe rust is a fungal pathogen that requires a living host to survive. Consequently, this disease needs to blow in from southern areas every season. Following moderate winters, such as the past two years, the disease can overwinter further north, and, given appropriate weather conditions, can move into Delaware and Maryland early in the growing season. This is important, as the stripe rust pathogen grows very well under cool, wet conditions and can reproduce rapidly. Thus, if stripe rust is detected on your wheat, growers should consider within season management. Fungicides with a triazole active ingredient work well, and premix fungicides also will provide good control. In a season with persistent cool, wet weather, such as last year, severe outbreaks can occur. If stripe rust is detected in the region, ensure that you check your varieties’ stripe rust ratings for resistance levels. Varieties with fair or poor stripe rust resistance may benefit from a fungicide application if stripe rust is detected nearby and wet, cool conditions persist. The guess the pest photos were acquired last week from our Middletown, Delaware Experimental site on a susceptible variety.

Guess the Pest # 8

Guess the Pest! Can you name this disease?