Wheat stripe rust was reported this week in southeast Kansas. The report came from Josh Coltrain, Extension Agent in the Wildcat District located in the southern corner of the state (Figure 1). Josh reports that several hot spots of stripe rust were detected in a field of “Everest” wheat in southern Montgomery County. The wheat in this field was at flag leaf emergence and the disease was active on the low-middle portion of the canopy. Disease was not found in other wheat fields in that region. There are no other reports of stripe rust in the state. Dry conditions are likely holding the disease in check for the time being (Figure 2).
Several states to our east (TN, AR, and KY) are reporting stripe in wheat. In most cases, disease in these states does not spread to Kansas. Texas and Oklahoma continue to report lower-than-normal levels of stripe rust. The dry conditions and lack of disease in the Southern Great Plains continue to suppress disease development. At this point, the risk of yield loss from stripe rust and other diseases is currently low in Kansas.
Figure 1. Distribution of wheat stripe rust in Kansas on April 13, 2018. The report from southeast Kansas represents an isolated field with several hot spots of disease. Disease was not found in other fields in the southeast region or other areas of the state. Map created by Erick DeWolf, K-State Research and Extension.
Figure 2. Recent drought monitor indicates that dry conditions continue to dominate many key wheat producing regions of the Southern Great Plains. These dry conditions are likely holding stripe rust and other disease in check at the present time.
Erick DeWolf, Extension Plant Pathologist
dewolf1@ksu.edu
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