This year late-season hailstorms led to increases in volunteer wheat that emerged shortly before wheat harvest. If left uncontrolled until wheat emergence in the fall, growers can expect a large buildup of mites and virus, leading to yield-robbing disease outbreaks next spring and summer.

Four videos illustrate the spread of wheat curl mites among neighboring wheat fields and the importance of controlling these mites to curtail the development of three key viruses of winter wheat in Nebraska.

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) problems have been extensive throughout the western Great Plains this year, significantly reducing the yield potential of many fields. A critical key in managing this threat in the next crop is elimination of volunteer wheat. Tillage or chemical weed control should occur at least one month before planting to allow host plants time to dry up and cease being a host.