Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Stripe Rust found in west Kentucky

Stripe rust has been found at low levels in southern Christian County in west Kentucky. I am sure it is in other counties in the west as well. Levels do not appear to be high, meaning that scattered plants with symnptoms were found, but bonified hot spots were not seen. In any event, it would be prudent to check your fields for the presence of stripe rust. If you find hot spots (not just single plants) you probably should  not wait to spray until early flowering, the typical time of application targeting head scab. However, if you just see a few scattered leaves here and there, I believe you could wait until flowering to spray with little risk that stripe rust will get ahead of you.

The greatest risk is in varieties that are known to be highly susceptible to stripe rust, such as "R35". However, if you find a hot spot in any variety, that would be cause for alarm since the fungus can overcome know resistance.

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