AGRICULTURAL

Oklahoma's wheat crop faces danger from fungal disease

By Don Atkinson Wheatsquared.com
Scientists say 'leaf rust' spores attach themselves to wheat plants, appearing as brownish colored dots on lower leaves. [Photo provided]

A fungal disease that impacts wheat's ability to grow has been spotted on growing crops in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas wheat fields.

However, potential impacts the blight known as "leaf rust" might cause could end up being minimal if temperatures are cold enough between now and spring.

“I found it in a real susceptible wheat variety,” said Bob Hunger, the wheat pathologist at Oklahoma State University.

“It was down low on the leaves and there were a lot of pustules in some places.”

Hunger said the disease's spores attach themselves to wheat plants, appearing as brownish dots on lower leaves. Once there, it draws away water and nutrients from the infected plant. If left unchecked, the disease weakens its host plant and can reduce that plant's yield at harvest time by as much as 20 percent.

“Leaf rust is our most significant foliar disease of wheat,” Hunger said. “But these fall infections are not going to hurt the crop as much as they would in the spring.

"These leaf rust infections, even though they're heavy down in the lower canopy, are attached to leaves that tend to die off as we get into the freezing temperatures," Hunger said.

He observed the cold prevents spores from spreading to emerging leaves during the winter season.

"Hopefully, we'll have a cold enough winter where the leaf rust won't continuously or consistently be infecting that new foliage,” meaning the crop will be clean when warm temperatures return.

Hunger noted Oklahoma State encourages wheat growers to choose to grow varieties of the crop that are resistant to the disease.

Beyond that, he noted that fall grazing rids infected plants of the disease, adding that any that survives would need to be treated with herbicides once spring arrives.

Wheat Squared is sponsored by the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and Oklahoma Genetics, Inc. Visit wheatsquared.com to learn more.