Wheat Disease

Wheat field in southeast Nebraska
Figure 1. A wheat field in Fillmore County in southeast Nebraska on May 17. There were no foliar diseases and emergence was uniform, but plants were much shorter than normal due to inadequate soil moisture. (Photo by Stephen Wegulo)

Wheat Disease Update for May 18, 2023

May 18, 2023
Though stripe rust has been sighted in southern Kansas wheat fields, there have been no signs of disease in Nebraska wheat as of yet.

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Wheat field day attendees
Figure 1. A wheat field day at the Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center near Grant in Perkins County on June 21.

Wheat Disease Update: Overview of the 2022 Growing Season

June 24, 2022
The major factors that have impacted the wheat crop in 2022 are drought-like conditions — especially in western Nebraska, where freeze damage also caused significant injury — hail, and the virus diseases wheat streak mosaic and barley yellow dwarf.

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Wheat stem maggot

Wheat Disease Update — June 10

June 10, 2022
Growers in southeast Nebraska have detected trace levels of foliar fungal diseases in wheat fields; no rust diseases have been reported yet. 

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Wheat streak mosaic

Wheat Disease Update: Barley Yellow Dwarf and Wheat Streak Mosaic

June 9, 2022
Widespread wheat streak mosaic and severe barley yellow dwarf have been scouted in Panhandle wheat fields.

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Wheat streak mosaic

Wheat Disease Update: May 19

May 20, 2022
Recent drought-like conditions have slowed the onset of diseases in wheat fields, with only trace levels of diseases observed in southeast Nebraska so far.

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Wheat field day attendees
Figure 1. A wheat field day at the High Plains Ag Lab in Cheyenne County on June 15.

Wheat Disease Update

June 18, 2021
The majority of fields visited in southern Nebraska this week had only trace levels of Fusarium head blight, but moderate to high levels of FHB were observed in susceptible varieties in a state variety trial in Red Willow County.

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Fusarium head blight
Figure 1. Fusarium head blight in a grower’s field in Nuckolls County on June 8.

Trace to Low Levels of Fusarium Head Blight Observed in Wheat Fields in South-central and Southeast Nebraska

June 10, 2021
In southern Nebraska, Fusarium head blight has been observed. In other parts of the state, hot temperatures have slowed the development of new stripe rust, but heavily infected fields are now experiencing accelerated drying out of leaves.  

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Stripe rust in a field
Figure 1. Stripe rust in a state variety trial at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center (ENREC) near Mead, Sauders County, on June 2.

Wheat Disease Update: Stripe Rust, Leaf Rust, and Fusarium Head Blight

June 4, 2021
This week high levels of stripe rust and leaf rust were observed in wheat plots at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center (ENREC) near Mead, Sauders County, and at Havelock Farm in Lincoln, Lancaster County.

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