On June 9, the first wheat field day of 2022 (Figure 1) was held in Jefferson County in southeast Nebraska in a grower’s field where a state variety trial is planted. Only trace levels of foliar fungal diseases, mainly Septorial tritici blotch, were observed in the grower’s field. There also were trace levels of barley yellow dwarf, wheat streak mosaic and Fusarium head blight (Figure 2). There were low levels of wheat stem maggot damage (Figures 3 and 4) in the field.

Figure 2. Fusarium head blight in a wheat state variety trial in a grower’s field in Jefferson County on June 9. (Photo by Stephen Wegulo)
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Figure 3. A wheat head prematurely whitened by wheat stem maggot damage in a wheat state variety trial in a grower’s field in Jefferson County on June 9. (Photo by Stephen Wegulo)
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Figure 4. Close-up of a wheat stem maggot. (Photo by Stephen Wegulo)
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To date there have been no reports of rust diseases in Nebraska. The most recent report from Kansas on June 8 indicated that trace levels of stripe rust and low levels of leaf rust have been observed in multiple counties. We may see some leaf rust in Nebraska, especially in the southern tier of counties, before the end of the wheat growing season. However, it is likely to cause little to no damage due to its late arrival and trace or low levels.