Stripe rust: have you checked your wheat?

May 18, 2017

The concerning disease threatens wheat yields in southern Ontario

By Jennifer Jackson

Stripe rust is back in Ontario’s winter wheat, ahead of its typical schedule. In fact, agronomists found the disease in wheat, two weeks earlier than found in spring of 2016, according to Emma Epp, agronomist for Cargill.

Epp scouts in Essex County and south Kent, where in past years the disease made its appearance once the crop has reached maturity and did not significantly affect yields; 2016 was an exception.

“Last year, (stripe rust) infected the plants before flag leaf (emergence),” she said. “We saw yield losses around 50 per cent for those that did not spray fungicide.”

Stripe rust blows in from the southern U.S. with seasonal winds. The warmer U.S. winters in the past couple of years contributes largely to the prevalence of the disease, says Epp. The mild weather allows stripe rust to overwinter further north in the U.S.

In her territory, Epp and her coworkers found evidence of stripe rust in Stoney Point, Tilbury and Princeton – some cases are awaiting testing confirmation.

The disease is very distinctive in wheat, according to Epp. Infected plants will display bright orange pustules in stripe formations on the leaves – typically in the top of the canopy.

Photo: Emma Epp

As warm – yet wet – weather occurs in southern Ontario, producers may find more cases of stripe rust develop.

“Its very important to get (out and scout) and know what you have out in your field,” she says. “The T2 (flag leaf) stage will be over soon, if not over already – we need to move onto a T3 (heading) fungicide.”

In 2016, farmers who sprayed early after finding the disease in their wheat saw approximately 20 per cent yield loss, says Epp. Those who sprayed proactively prior to disease pressure on average experienced near 0 per cent yield loss to disease.

In addition to stripe rust, the warm and wet weather is inviting other unwanted cereal diseases. Farmers should keep an eye out for powdery mildew and fusarium, according to Epp. The best way to defend your crops from disease induced yield loss starts by getting out in the field.

“It’s important to identify what you have in the field,” says Epp. “You need to be proactive and not reactive.”

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.