Surveys in wheat fields across the southern and east-central areas of the state in June found a marked increase in foliar disease symptoms, due in part to prevailing wet spring conditions.
DATCP specialists sampled 61 fields in Brown, Calumet, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Door, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Winnebago counties June 6-21. In each field, a sample consisting of 20 wheat heads and leaves was collected for disease testing at the Plant Industry Bureau Laboratory.
The map below shows the results of disease testing.
Fungal diseases were prevalent. Surveyors found fusarium head blight in nearly half of the fields checked (27 fields). These findings align with UW reports indicating the reappearance of Fusarium head blight this season for the first time in three years: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2024/06/23/wheat-diseases-resurge-in-wisconsin/
“We’re seeing the resurgence of stripe rust and fusarium head blight (scab),” says Damon Smith, UW-Extension Plant Pathologist. “After several years of relative calm, this has caught many by surprise.”
Other diseases detected on the wheat samples included Alternaria head mold (7 fields) and rust (10 fields).
All samples tested negative for the wheat blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum pathotype, a national priority pest predicted to spread through wheat-growing regions of the world under climate change conditions. Wheat blast originated in Brazil. It’s currently in several countries in South America, as well as in parts of Africa and Asia. Where this disease occurs, infection can be severe with up to a total yield loss. DATCP targeted wheat blast as part of a USDA APHIS early detection survey cooperative agreement.
Extension Small Grains Specialist Shawn Conley advises growers: “don’t dawdle” during dry stretches. As farmers delay harvest, test weights drop leading to dockage at the elevator: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2024/07/10/harvest-window-opens-for-winter-wheat/
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