Bob Mulrooney, Extension Plant Pathologist; bobmul@udel.edu
Stripe rust in wheat has been seen in both DE and MD this week. The outbreaks at this time are small and for most of the state wheat is past flowering, so the impact of increased rust development at this time should be minimal. Anyone who applied a fungicide such as Tilt, Prosaro, or Caramba at boot stage or heading will have 2-3 weeks of control, depending when it was applied and when stripe rust spores arrived from the south of us. We have not seen stripe rust in our region for several years. There have been population changes in the rust and it may be more aggressive than what we have seen in the past. We would be interested to know if you see it and what varieties get infected and the severity of the infection. Initially it might be found in a small area or several small areas but if the continued rain and cooler temperatures prevail it could spread quickly. If the wheat is past flowering, check fungicide labels for timing. See the next article for more information on stripe rust and effect on yield as well as fungicide choices.
Close-up of stripe rust symptoms showing rust pustules in a line or stripe.
Stripe rust on wheat.
Several more wheat samples were confirmed with Barley yellow dwarf virus. Most of the symptoms are mild but very widespread when it is found in a field. There is little impact on yield as best we know, but there is still much to learn about this virus in this region.
Barley yellow dwarf showing reddening of flag leaf.
Wheat Disease Update
The following was written by Arv Grybauskas, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Maryland and adapted for Delaware by Bob Mulrooney, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Delaware
The risk of scab development this season has been very low and most of our wheat will be scab‐free or, at worst, have infection levels well below 10%. Vomitoxin levels should therefore be well below the 2 ppm threshold for acceptance at mills for most of the crop. The last few days, however, indicate that there are a couple of regions in the state that might still develop some scab. Much of the wheat in the hot spots in eastern Sussex County should be past flowering, and therefore past the label growth stage limitation for treatment with fungicides. However, there may be late planted fields or later developing varieties that can be treated. Leaf rust has been present on susceptible varieties since early spring but has been kept in check by unfavorable temperature or moisture conditions. It still has the potential to develop and spread if temperatures warm into the 80s at daytime and drop only to the mid‐60s at night as long as showers continue or dew and RH is high. Treatment of susceptible varieties may be warranted if leaf rust is present and is threatening to reach the flag leaves.
Stripe rust has also made an appearance this season. It was just confirmed in Dorchester and Caroline Counties in Maryland as well as in Delaware on Monday, May 7. These outbreaks are in small pockets (foci) in fields and their appearance is consistent with long‐distance spore transport from either NC or KY on storm fronts that came through about 2 weeks ago. Stripe rust, unlike leaf rust, requires cooler temperatures. In fact, at temperatures above 77°F lesions will stop producing spores and secondary spread is reduced, and at temperatures above 85°F the pathogen dies. The question now is, what is the potential damage and do I need to apply a fungicide? The short answer is, in my opinion, the worst‐case scenario for either rust disease (susceptible variety, and continuous disease favorable conditions through grain‐fill, and a focus of rust is present in the field now) would potentially produce a 10% yield loss. Realistically the weather will probably be less favorable sometime during grain fill so losses are more likely in the 1‐7% range (Table 1). For either rust disease it takes 7‐14 days to go through an infection cycle (infections giving rise to more spores that cause new infections) under ideal conditions. With that in mind, by the end of the grain‐fill period it is possible that the plants will look nasty (100% of the plants with 40 to 65% flag leaf severity) but between hard and soft dough stages this typically only produces 1 to 7% yield losses.
Table 1. Approximate Yield Loss in Relation to Severity of Rust on the Flag Leaf at Various Stages of Growth
| Growth Stage | Flag Leaf Area Infected with Rust | ||||
| 10% | 25% | 40% | 65% | 100% | |
| Flowering | 10 | 15 | 20 | 30 | 35 |
| Milk | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 20 |
| Soft dough | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Hard dough | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
From: Hunger, B. and K. Jackson. Foliar Fungicides and Wheat Production in Oklahoma.
At this stage the only products that can be considered are triazole fungicides. The products registered for scab management, Prosaro and Caramba, are also effective against leaf and stripe rust. Rust susceptible wheat varieties that are still eligible for a fungicide application (pre‐ or just at flower) that are not at risk of developing scab may be sprayed with Folicur or a properly labeled generic tebuconazole product for rust control. Note that Prosaro, Caramba and Folicur have a 30 day Pre‐Harvest Interval as well as the growth stage restriction. Tilt has a 45 day PHI, and therefore would only be an option on earlier stage wheat where the risk of scab was low.