Tip of the Week! Start Scouting
Wheat Fields for Diseases

Winter wheat is progressing rapidly and is 7 days ahead of normal. Regular scouting is crucial to limiting disease and maintaining yield. Septoria leaf spot has been the most common disease this spring. Keep track of the weather and the disease in the field since a prolonged wet period(s) in May and early June could result in Septoria moving up the plant.

Powdery mildew has been very limited so far but again weather and variety susceptible could change that quickly. A special award (no monetary value) goes to our friends at Cargill AgHorizons (Leanne Fritag, Pat Lynch and others) for finding the earliest samples of wheat leaf rust (Plattsville to Mount Forest) that I have seen in Ontario before. It is rare that leaf rust overwinters here but again keep track of the disease and be prepared to protect the upper leaves with a fungicide or earlier (split application with herbicide) if lesions begin to move rapidly up the plant. Pennslybannia and New York state have also reported early leaf rust.

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