Wheat Watching: Disease Update

Apr 14, 2016

By Alyssa Collins

Keep an eye out for some leaf diseases in your wheat crop.

While the cold temperatures and drier conditions across much of the state have slowed the progress of wheat diseases, that doesn’t mean they’ve entirely gone away. I have been receiving reports and samples of wheat and other small grains infected with powdery mildew and leaf diseases like stagonospora leaf blotch. These seem to be frequently found in our valleys and spots where humidity tends to hang and temperatures can be milder. One thing that growers often comment on is the noticeable difference in disease severity between varieties. This is important to keep track of so that in the future you can select a variety that gives you some resistance. My counterpart in Delaware shows this in a great write up on powdery mildew that can be found here. Check out this article if you’d like to freshen up on the “dos” and “don’ts” of dealing with this disease.

Our friends to the south in North Carolina and Virginia are now sending us reports of rusts on wheat. While these diseases usually come in at flag leaf or later for us here in PA, be sure to scout early this year as weather systems can blow the spores up to us from the south.If you need some help identifying these diseases, look no further than this excellent identification guide.

If you choose to use a fungicide for these or any other diseases on wheat this year, you can refer to the updated fungicide efficacy chart.

Source: psu.edu

Video: Wisconsin Corn and Soybean Weed Management Updates and Considerations for 2026 and Beyond

Dr. Rodrigo Werle, associate professor and extension weed scientist, UW–Madison, shares the latest updates and future considerations for corn and soybean weed management in Wisconsin. This presentation covers herbicide resistance trends in waterhemp, including newly confirmed cases of HPPD and S-metolachlor resistance, and emphasizes the importance of residual herbicides and strategic tank mixes for consistent control. Rodrigo also introduces upcoming technologies like Vyconic soybeans and new herbicide products, discusses integrated weed management strategies such as planting green with cover crops, and highlights practical recommendations for 2026 and beyond.

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