Management and Epidemiology of Diseases of Small Grains

Principal Investigator: Ruth Dill-Macky

Project Description: 

This project aims to develop effective disease control strategies for wheat, barley, and oat and thereby reduce yield and quality losses for small grains producers in Minnesota. The project will be directed both to ongoing research efforts on Fusarium head blight of wheat and barley and to the other diseases, principally Bacterial leaf streak. Fusarium head blight of wheat and barley remains a major limiting factor to small grains production in the Upper Midwest. Bacterial Leaf Streak, caused by Xanthomonas translucens, has recently become prevalent in Minnesota. Managing BLS is difficult due to the lack of resistant cultivars and other effective tools and understanding of the epidemiology of BLS is still limited. Specific objectives are 1) to provide support to the wheat, barley, and oat breeding programs as part of ongoing efforts to develop germplasm with improved resistance to biotic diseases. The evaluation of breeding lines from the wheat and barley improvement programs for resistance to FHB will be conducted in uniform, inoculated and mist-irrigated field nurseries. This project will also support efforts in field screening breeding material in the wheat and barley programs to BLS. Screening of barley germplasm to net formnet blotch will be conducted in greenhouse tests and in an inoculated dryland nursery at Crookston. My lab provides support to other pathology projects, including Carol Ishimaru's BLS field experiments and Melania Figueroa's proposed oat crown rust and loose smut research. Evaluations of disease in naturally infected field sites, e.g. for powdery mildew of wheat and barley, will be conducted where opportunities arise; 2) To examine the epidemiology of the diseases of small grains and utilize this knowledge in the development of effective disease control options. Emphasis will be placed on research aimed at the control of the diseases of greatest impact on commercial wheat, barley, and oat production. Disease management will be achieved through improving our understanding of the epidemiology of the diseases and developing management options; primarily the use of host resistance but also utilizing cultural, chemical and biological control practices, as appropriate; and 3) to contribute to the education of graduate students.

Project Years: 2015-2020

Funding Source: State Agricultural Experiment Station