Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Agronomic: small grain, wheat

Target Pests

Practices

• Pest Management: cultural control, host resistance, monitoring/scouting, pesticide application timing, prevention

• Crop Production: cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems

Aphid- and mite-vectored viral diseases of wheat such as wheat streak mosaic and barley yellow dwarf pose a serious threat to wheat production in the North Central region of the U.S. and beyond. Annually, these diseases are responsible for high levels of yield loss. Current best management practices dictate a combination of genetic resistance, weed control, planting dates, and seed treatments. Many open questions remain around breeding for resistance, phenotyping, diagnostics, and management of these viruses across diverse cropping systems. Historically, research on these viruses has been siloed within sub-disciplines which we believe has limited forward progress. In this working group proposal, we build on previous grass-roots efforts to develop a coordinated group of plant pathologists, wheat breeders, agronomists, entomologists, industry representatives, extension educators, and producers to formalize a Wheat Virus Working Group. We propose a series of activities, beginning with a facilitated in-person Wheat Virus Summit where key gaps will be identified, and sub-groups will be established to meet regularly. We propose a series of outputs including coordinated protocols, extension material, Crop Protection Network content, mapping efforts, diagnostic guides, and a wheat virus diagnostics workshop. The specific objectives outlined for this working group are to 1) establish and sustain a regionally coordinated Wheat Virus Working Group to identify and map an action plan to address key challenges for wheat virus IPM faced by producers and to 2) develop coordinated extension materials and diagnostic protocols. Wheat streak mosaic and barley yellow dwarf have been responsible for an estimated $55.6 million in losses in the U.S. over the five-year period from 2019-2023, with $37.6 million lost from the North Central Region alone. Because of this, the potential impact of this working group for wheat producers and the wheat value chain is substantial.

1) Establish and sustain a regionally coordinated Wheat Virus Working Group to identify and map an action plan to address key challenges for wheat virus IPM faced by producers.

2) Develop coordinated extension materials and diagnostic protocols.