Quote:
Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth
Ohhh! Tell me more...
Talk grainy to me!
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I know you're joking but you're getting it anyway. Why? Because **** the organic movement. The more information out there the better. Even though I know nobody is going to read this.
Fusarium causes head scab, which can be neutralized by a properly timed fungicide application but it's not the only fungal infection affecting wheat. Stripe rust causes the most acres to be treated. Similar looking but different phenotype and agronomic impacts are leaf rust and stem rust. They are far less aggressive but potentially dangerous to wheat production. Tan spot and powdery mildew are early season infections that are primarily related to heavy residue and cool wet spring conditions. All of these can be treated with fun code applications. Head smut is also common but rarely requires fungicide applications
Viral infections are also common. Most are carried by insects that need to be offset by insecticide applications. The problem is that you have to scout for the bug not the visual symptoms of the disease. Wheat streak mosaic is caused by the wheat curl mite, which chills out in volunteer wheat early in the season which is why it is critical to control volunteer wheat after harvest because the mites move a long way. High Plains Virus looks very similar but is less common. Barley Yellow Dwarf is spread by the Bird Cherry Oat Aphid.
Physical damage to the plant is also a big concern for wheat. Haitian Fly and Sawtooth Fly affect seedling wheat as well as grasshoppers, but those are usually just the edges. Brown Wheat mites affect drought stressed wheat coming out of dormancy in the spring. Greenbugs affect wheat in later physiological stages.
Soil Borne Mosaic is a viral infection that is in the soil. It is offset by crop rotation.
There's your readers digest wheat pathology overview. What do you want to talk about next? Fertility issues? Pesticide efficacy? Corn Pathology? Sorghum Pathology? Soil health and the effects of tillage? All of which are detrimental to organic systems.