“Just In Case” Spray May Not Pay When It Comes To Stripe Rust

Last year, an Oregon State University field trail found no yield benefit in winter wheat from applying three commonly used fungicides for stripe rust when disease pressure stayed low in a stripe rust-tolerant variety.  Christina Hagerty, associate professor of plant pathology at OSU noted the results of the trail were highly environmentally dependent.

“So whatever sort of weather we're having, the crop stage, and then also the stripe rust epidemic of that year really shapes the results of that study," Hagerty said.  "And so last season, what we saw was adequate control with that base model, if you will, that propiconazole and additional modes of action last year did not show a yield benefit.”

The study was conducted at OSU’s Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center near Adams.  Hagerty said the team measured yield at harvest, along with grain test weight and protein.  Stripe rust levels were tracked throughout the season, using drone imagery to estimate crop canopy health.

Hagerty noted one of the biggest takeaways for Northwest growers is the importance of being in the driver's seat when it comes to scouting their fields.

“And if that scouting activity results in seeing a rust hotspot or a low-level rust epidemic in the field, timely applications really matter," Hagerty said.  "And time after time again, what we can say with absolute confidence is the timing of the fungicide application is far more important than the product that you use. Rust is one of these diseases that we never want to be chasing. We want to make that timely application to shut down the epidemic as soon as we can, early in the season.”

Click Here to read the results of the field trial.

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