Wheat diseases

The cereal grain wheat is subject to numerous wheat diseases, including bacterial, viral and fungal diseases, as well as parasitic infestations.

Principal diseases

Barley yellow dwarf virus, BYDV
Brown rust Puccinia recondita
Common bunt (aka Covered smut) Tilletia caries
Ergot Claviceps purpurea
Eyespot Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides
Glume blotch Septoria nodorum
septoria leaf blotch Mycosphaerella graminicola, synonyms: Septoria tritici, Zymoseptoria tritici
Mildew Erysiphe graminis
Seedling blight Fusarium spp., Septoria nodorum
Sharp eyespot Rhizoctonia cerealis
Spot blotch Biplolaris sorokiana
Take-all Gaeumannomyces graminis
Tan spot Pyrenophora tritici-repentis
Yellow rust Puccinia striiformis

In Europe

Cereals are at risk from numerous diseases due to the level of intensification necessary for profitable production since the 1970s. More recently varietal diversification, good plant breeding and the availability of effective fungicides have played a prominent part in cereal disease control. Use of break crops and good rotations are also good cultural control measures. The demise of UK straw burning in the 1980s also increased the importance of good disease control.

Active control measures include use of chemical seed treatments for seed-borne diseases and chemical spray applications for leaf and ear diseases. Development of resistance by diseases to established chemicals has been a problem during the previous 30 years.

In the USA

Wheat is subject to more diseases than other grains, and, in some seasons, especially in wet ones, heavier losses are sustained from those diseases than are in other cereal crops. Wheat may suffer from the attack of insects at the root; from blight, which primarily affects the leaf or straw, and ultimately deprives the grain of sufficient nourishment; from mildew on the ear; and from gum of different shades, which lodges on the chaff or cups in which the grain is deposited.

Fungicides

Fungicides used on wheat, grouped by type, with examples of the active chemical ingredient:

Benzimidazoles
- benomyl
- carbendazim
Ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors
Morpholines
- fenpropimorph
Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI)
- Succinate-analogue inhibitors
- Ubiquinone type inhibitors
  - boscalid, a pyridine-carboxamide^[1]
  - fluopyram, a pyrimide (pyridinyl ethylbenzamide)^[2]
  - fluxapyroxad, a pyrazole-carboxamide^[3]
  - oxycarboxin, oxathiin-carboxamide^[4]
Strobylurines
- kresoxim-methyl
Phthalonitriles
- chlorothalonil

References

^ "Wheat disease management guide" (PDF). HGCA, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2014.
^ "Cereals/Seed Treatment Trials: Efficacy of seed treatment fungicides in spring barley and spring wheat" (PDF). MTT Agrifood Research Finland. 23 November 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2014.
^ Smith, J.; Grimmer, M.; Waterhouse, S. & Paveley, N. (2013). "Quantifying the non-fungicidal effects of foliar applications of fluxapyroxad (Xemium) on stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and yield in winter wheat". Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences. 78 (3): 523–535. PMID 25151827. Abstract
^ Rowell, J. B. (1976). "Controlof Leaf Rust on Spring Wheat by Seed Treatment with 4-N-butyl-1.2.4-triazole" (PDF). Phytopathology. 66 (9): 1129–1134. doi:10.1094/phyto-66-1129. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2012.

External links

Wheat Diseases and Pests: A Guide for Field Identification Excellent color guide from CIMMYT
USDA Cereal Disease Laboratory Many information resources
Identifying and Managing Wheat Rusts, Kansas State University
CropMonitor - UK Resource for in-season wheat disease control Excellent tool for agronomists and growers
Millere, Marta (2020-04-07). "Crossing boundaries". CIMMYT. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
Dahm, Madeline (2020-10-22). "Dave Hodson highlights "major breakthroughs" in rust disease response at the 2020 Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Technical Workshop". CGIAR WHEAT. Retrieved 2020-12-26.

[1] "Wheat disease management guide" (PDF). HGCA, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2014.

[2] "Cereals/Seed Treatment Trials: Efficacy of seed treatment fungicides in spring barley and spring wheat" (PDF). MTT Agrifood Research Finland. 23 November 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2014.

[3] Smith, J.; Grimmer, M.; Waterhouse, S. & Paveley, N. (2013). "Quantifying the non-fungicidal effects of foliar applications of fluxapyroxad (Xemium) on stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and yield in winter wheat". Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences. 78 (3): 523–535. PMID 25151827. Abstract

[4] Rowell, J. B. (1976). "Controlof Leaf Rust on Spring Wheat by Seed Treatment with 4-N-butyl-1.2.4-triazole" (PDF). Phytopathology. 66 (9): 1129–1134. doi:10.1094/phyto-66-1129. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2012.

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