First Pustules of Stripe Rust found South of St. Mary’s
After reporting stripe rust has moved from to the northern US states, the first reports of it moving into Ontario came in yesterday afternoon. Nicole Bloetjes from Wellburn Agromart found the first pustules of stripe rust in Ontario for 2018 just south of St. Mary’s. It is currently at low levels only on a few flag leaves but it occurred on a highly susceptible variety.
Fortunately, C&M Seeds lines have had excellent tolerance to stripe rust. Out of our entire lineup, Drew has the most risk of infection, but very manageable with a fungicide program. Stripe rust strains do change, so growers should take warning and check their fields. Later planted fields with susceptible varieties would be the ones to watch. A proactive scouting program is key to managing stripe rust. Consider applying a fungicide at your earliest chance, ESPECIALLY if you are growing a variety with lower tolerance. If you are at T3 timing, make sure you apply a fungicide that has activity on stripe rust. If you are not at T3 timing yet and you did not apply a T1 fungicide and you a have a susceptible variety, scout immediately.
Stripe rust development favours temperatures between 10-15°C with high humidity and usually stops developing once temperatures reach 25°C. However, in previous years, the disease pressure continued to grow at 30°C. We cannot stress enough how important it is to scout. If you find it, consider spraying immediately! Under the right conditions it can spread like wildfire and cause significant yield losses.
If you need help identifying or have questions about stripe rust feel free to contact The Wheat Team.