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Stripe Rust Update, May 19, 2017

Posted by elliott.j.marston | December 4, 2017

Xianming Chen

This update reports:

  1. Barley leaf rust first find in the east of the Cascade Mountain range in the PNW,
  2. Barley stripe rust, and
  3. Wheat stripe rust, including data of the 2017 Winter Wheat Variety Trials at Walla Walla for reference of control stripe rust in the PNW.

 

  1. Barley Leaf Rust

Barley leaf rust (caused by Puccinia hordei) was found in a couple of fields planted with facultative winter barley variety ‘Maja’ in Walla Walla County, Washington near the Oregon border.  By yesterday, rust incidence was 100% and severity ranged from 40 to 100% (Figures 1 and 2).  According to the grower, the fields were planted in last October and rust started appearing more than a month ago, but due to organic farming, the fields could not be applied with fungicides. He plans to cut the crops these days.

To my knowledge, this is the first observed barley leaf rust in the area east of the Cascade Mountain range in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).  Before this occurrence, barley leaf rust had only been observed in the west of the mountain range.  For example, the disease usually shows up in our nurseries in Mount Vernon (Skagit Co, WA) in late season as most barley varieties in production and nurseries are most spring barley.  In the recent years, barley leaf rust has increased severity, which has interfered with our screening for barley stripe rust.  By the first week of May this year, we did not see leaf rust on barley in Mount Vernon.  According to Dr. Patrick Hayes, barley breeder at Oregon State University, leaf rust has not observed in barley nurseries at Corvallis, OR this year.  In the winter barley fields in Walla Walla, the crops are headed.  It is apparent that infection occurred last fall and the fungus well overwintered due to snow cover.  The rust inoculum was likely from western Oregon and/or western Washington last year.  In 2016, the grower grew two crops in one of his fields about several hundred meters west of this year’s fields.  The first crop was harvested in June and the second crop of the same Maja variety was planted in July and harvested in November.  He did not see rust in the first crop, but noticed rust in the second crop.  Spores from this field were likely blown to and infected the fields planted last October.

Most barley varieties in our nurseries in Mount Vernon in the recent years were susceptible to leaf rust.  I include our last year data of two of the barley nurseries for your information (Table 1 and Table 2).  If you grow winter or spring barley for non-organic production, please check fields.  If you see leaf rust, consider applying fungicides.  The popular fungicides which are used to control stripe rust and other foliar fungal diseases on cereal crops should control leaf rust.  As leaf rust has not become a common disease in the barley production areas in the PNW, a big gap between barley crops may break the disease cycle.  It will be better to avoid growing winter barley and spring (or summer) barley crops continually in the same area.

stripe rust in a field of barley

Figure 1. Leaf rust in a winter barley field in Walla Walla County, WA (May 18, 2017)

close up of barley leaf infected with stripe rust

Figure 2. Barley leaf rust (May 18, 2017)

US Winter Barley Nursery Data Table

Table 1.  Leaf rust and stripe rust data of the Eastern US Winter Barley Nursery tested at Mount Vernon, WA in 2016. (IT=infection type and % = rust severity)

WSU Spring Barley Data Table

Table 2. Leaf rust and stripe rust data of the WSU Spring Barley Variety Trial Nursery tested at Mount Vernon, WA in 2016. (IT=infection type and % = rust severity)

  1. Barley Stripe Rust

Barley stripe rust has been found on winter barley in our nurseries in Mount Vernon, Lind, and Walla Walla at low levels.  Steve Jone’s group has also found stripe rust in their winter barley nurseries in Mount Vernon.  We have received barley stripe rust samples from inoculated fields in California.  The disease pressure of barley stripe rust is much lower than wheat stripe rust. However, with the rust-favorable weather conditions, barley stripe rust has potential to become significant, similar to or higher than the situations last year.  Check barley fields for stripe rust (and also for leaf rust), apply fungicides when the rust level is low, but is easily to find (5% incidence).

  1. Wheat Stripe Rust

When we were checking fields yesterday, stripe rust reached 100% severity on susceptible varieties in Walla Walla and 90% in Lind in our nurseries.  In commercial fields, stripe rust was generally under control in Umatilla County, OR close to the Washington border; Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin counties of Washington; and Nez Perce and Latah counties of Idaho due to resistance and/or fungicide application.  Few fields in Garfield County had visible stripe rust foci.

As the weather has been and will continue to be favorable for stripe rust development, we still have a long way to go to control stripe rust for this crop season.  Check fields for active stripe rust pustules and apply fungicides as needed.  I attach stripe rust data of the winter wheat variety trials from our Walla Walla nursery for reference (Table 3).  Varieties with ratings 4 and higher may need fungicide application; and those with ratings 1 to 3 generally do not need fungicide application. However, if active rust pustules are quite common (5% incidence), consider using fungicides.

Since the last update (May 5), stripe rust has been reported in Montana and Colorado, in addition to the previous reports in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Virginia, Delaware, Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Nebraska, Indiana, Georgia, Idaho, Arizona, and California of the US and Alberta and Ontario of  Canada.

Table 3.  Stripe rust data of the 2017 WSU Winter Wheat Variety Trials at Walla Walla

Walla Walla
4/19/2017 5/18/2017
2017 Feekes 6 Feekes 9-10.2
Variety name PLOT IT % IT % Rating
LCS Colonia 1 2 5 2 2 1
LCS Jet 2 5 5 2 5 1
LWW14-73915 3 2 5 2 2 1
Keldin 4 5 5 3 30 3
WB4623CLP 5 5 10 2 10 2
WB-Arrowhead 6 2 2 2 5 1
XA4103 7 2 5 2 10 2
XA4104 8 5 5 3 15 2
SY Clearstone CL2 9 5 15 5 30 4
SY Touchstone 10 2 10 2 10 2
Whetstone 11 6 20 2 15 2
Mandala 12 7 20 3 20 3
AP503 CL2 13 8 15 3 20 3
Farnum 14 8 20 2 5 1
Sequoia (WA 8180) 15 5 5 3 15 2
WA 8247 16 6 30 3 20 3
WA 8272 17 5 10 2 2 1
WA 8273 18 5 15 2 2 1
LCS Aymeric 19 4 5 2 2 1
NSA10-2196 20 5 5 2 5 1
PS279              CHECK 21 8 80 8 100 9
Norwest 553 22 2 20 2 5 1
WA 8248 23 2 2 2 5 1
WA 8268 24 2 2 2 2 1
WA 8269 25 2 5 2 2 1
LCS Evina 26 2 10 2 2 1
Metropolis 27 5 20 2 2 1
Rebelde 28 2 15 3 20 3
KWS 145 29 6 15 2 5 1
LWW14-73163 30 4 20 3 10 2
Norwest Duet (LOR-092) 31 5 5 3 10 2
Mary 32 5,8 10,10 2 5 1
Norwest Tandem (LOR-334) 33 5 5 5 40 5
OR2121086 34 5 2 2 5 1
ORCF-102 35 5 5 2 5 1
ORI2150031 CF+ 36 5 2 8 30 6
Legion 37 5 5 2 5 1
SY 107 38 5 40 2 5 1
IDN 06-03303B 39 5 10 3 30 3
IDN 07-28017B 40 5 10 2 5 1
PS279            CHECK 41 8 90 8 100 9
IDN 09-15702A 42 3 2 2 5 1
UI Castle CL+ 43 8 5 5 20 4
UI Magic CL+ 44 5 15 3 20 3
UI Sparrow (IDO1108DH) 45 2 10 2 5 1
ARS-Crescent 46 6 60 3 30 3
WB1376CLP 47 2 10 2 10 2
WB1529 48 5 15 2 10 2
WB1604 49 5 5 2 5 1
XA1101 CL+ 50 2 5 2 2 1
XA1401 CL+ 51 2 10 2 5 1
WB1783 52 5 5 3 10 2
Jasper 53 5 10 2 10 2
KXB-01 54 5 20 3 20 3
Puma 55 5 20 3 20 3
Xerpha 56 8 50 8 60 8
LWW14-73161 57 5 15 2 10 2
LWW14-74143 58 5 10 2 10 2
ORCF-103 59 8 50 8 80 8
SY 04PN066-7 60 6 30 2 10 1
PS279           CHECK 61 8 90 8 100 9
SY 09PN005#25 62 5 15 2 10 2
WA 8276 63 2 10 2 5 1
ARS20060123-31C 64 5 20 3 30 3
ARSDH08028-111C 65 2 20 2 5 1
Coda 66 5 15 2 15 2
Pritchett (4J0713366C) 67 5 10 3 20 3
WB1843 68 5 40 5 30 4
Bruehl 69 5 20 3 15 2
Curiosity CL+ 70 5 20 3 15 2
Eltan 71 5 40 5 30 4
Masami 72 2 30 2 10 2
Mela CL+ 73 5 25 3 20 3
Otto 74 5 25 3 20 3
WA 8226 75 2 10 2 10 2
WA 8227 76 2 10 2 5 1
WA 8270 77 5 30 3 15 2
WA 8271 78 5 40 3 15 2
LCS Artdeco 79 5 50 3 20 3
LCS Drive (LWW12-7105) 80 2 15 2 5 1
PS279           CHECK 81 8 90 8 100 9
LWW14-71195 82 5 20 2 10 2
LWW14-72916 83 2 5 2 10 2
Bobtail 84 2 5 2 5 1
OR2101043 85 2 5 2 5 1
Rosalyn 86 5 15 3 15 2
SY 09PN062#18 87 4 10 2 10 2
Brundage 96 88 5 20 3 20 3
SY 46#16 89 5 15 2 15 2
WA 8274 CL+ 90 5 10 3 20 3
SY Assure 91 5 5 2 10 2
SY Ovation 92 5 20 2 15 2
UI Palouse CL+ 93 5 15 3 25 3
UI-WSU Huffman 94 2 5 2 10 2
ARS20040150-2C 95 2 5 2 5 1
ARSDH08028-44C 96 2 5 5 10 3
ARS-Selbu 97 5 2 2 10 2
Cara 98 2 5 2 2 1
Madsen 99 5 2 3 10 2
WB 456 100 5 5 3 10 2
PS279           CHECK 101 8 90 8 90 9
WB-528 102 5 30 2 10 2
WA 8187 103 2 10 2 5 1
YS-206 104 5 10 2 5 1
WA 8245 105 5 15 3 15 2
WA 8232 106 5 10 2 10 2
WA 8234 107 4 5 2 5 1
LCS Biancor 108 2 5 2 5 1
IDN 01-10704A 109 2 5 3 10 2
IDN 02-29001A 110 3 2 2 2 1
PS279          CHECK 111 8 80 8 100 9

 

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