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Cereals: Wheat: Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici)

Author: OMAFRA Staff
Creation Date: 04 July 2005
Last Reviewed: 28 July 2007
Pub 812: Field Crop Protection Guide > Chapter 5: Cereals > Wheat: Powdery Mildew

Excerpt from Chapter 5, Field Crop Protection Guide, Order this publication

Table of Contents

  1. Integrated Pest Management Options
  2. Related links...

Integrated Pest Management Options

The fungus is very susceptible to weather conditions that promote drying of the crop environment, such as hot, dry sunny weather. Management includes the use of tolerant varieties, crop rotation, tillage, and fungicides.

See OMAFRA Publication 811, Agronomy Guide for Field Crops, for thresholds and more information

Seed Treatment
triadimenol – Baytan 30
Active ingredient triadimenol
Trade name Baytan 30
Rate (product) 50-100 mL per 100 kg seed

Comments
Use higher rate for winter wheat. Must be diluted with water prior to treatment of seed to ensure uniform coverage. Treated seed will sometimes emerge more slowly than untreated seed. Avoid late seeding of winter cereals. Do not graze or feed livestock on treated areas for 40 days after planting.

Foliar Treatment

Foliar fungicide applications may be necessary when disease levels will result in yield losses and a susceptible variety is used. Thresholds for fungicide applications differ depending on the age of the crop. Early-season powdery mildew control is warranted when 5%-10% of the lower leaves are infected, which may limit later infection. Later in the season, powdery mildew symptoms on the flag leaf (1% of leaf) and the second leaf (3%-5% of the leaf) require immediate attention, especially if prolonged wet, humid weather is forecast.

See Appendix G, on page 85, for Zadok's cereal growth stages

propiconazole – Tilt 250 E, Bumper 418 EC
Active ingredient propiconazole propiconazole
Trade name Tilt 250 E Bumper 418 EC
Rate per hectare (product) 500 mL per ha 300 mL per ha
Rate per acre (product) 200 mL per ac 121 mL per ac

Comments
Ground and aerial application. Apply at early signs of disease from the beginning of stem elongation (Zadok's 29-37). If conditions favourable to disease continue, another application will be necessary. A second spray may be applied before head is half emerged (Zadok's 49-55). Can be tank-mixed with several cereal herbicides. 45 days to harvest.

pyraclostrobin – Headline EC
Active ingredient pyraclostrobin
Trade name Headline EC
Rate per hectare (product) 400-600 mL per ha
Rate per acre (product) 160-240 mL per ac

Comments
Ground or aerial. Apply only up to flag leaf fully emerged stage (Zadoks 39). Do not apply at boot stage (Zadoks 47) and beyond. Maximum 2 applications per season. Tank-mixing with insecticide is not recommended, as this fungicide could affect insecticide efficacy.

tebuconazole – Folicur 432 F
Active ingredient tebuconazole
Trade name Folicur 432 F
Rate per hectare (product) 292 mL per ha
Rate per acre (product) 118 mL per ac

Comments
Ground or aerial application. Only one application per year. Apply only up to flag leaf fully emerged stage (Zadok's 39). Do not apply at boot stage (Zadok's 47) and beyond. Use non-ionic surfactant such as Agral 90 or Agsurf at 0.125% vol/vol. 36 days to harvest.

Before using Folicur for wheat leaf diseases, consider that Folicur can only be applied once per year and has been traditionally used for Fusarium control.

trifloxystrobin + propiconazole – Stratego 250 EC
Active ingredient tebuconazole
Trade name Stratego 250 EC
Rate per hectare (product) 500 mL per ha
Rate per acre (product) 200 mL per ac

Comments
Ground and aerial application. Maximum of 2 applications per year. Do not apply the second application within 14 days of the first. Apply only up to flag leaf fully emerged stage (Zadok's 39). Do not apply at boot stage (Zadok's 47) and beyond. Can be tankmixed with Buctril M in wheat. 45 days to harvest.

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