June 21, 2010
Fungus threatens grain production in Eastern Idaho, US
Stripe Rust fungus has been confirmed in Eastern Idaho and if it spreads, it could damage up to 80% of the region's crops, and that means some grain producers might not yield what they hope for.
"Economically our margins on growing this crop are so tight right now, with prices the way they are. We need to get the best bang for the buck. We need to get the most yield we can, so we need to keep an eye on this because if that hurts our yield, then that hurts our bottom line," said Matt Gellings, a local grain grower.
"In years where we have cold wet springs like we have right now we often have a problem with Stripe Rust," said pathologist Juliet Windes.
Pathologists just confirmed a case in Burley, where hard red winter wheat leaves are infected with the bright orange rusty coloured stripes. The striped fungus breaks open the wheat and barley plants surface and causes them to lose water and nutrients. The fungus is dangerous because it spreads easily and quickly through the wind.
Windes said it is critical growers act immediately to stop the rapid spread from affecting their crops. "We have to be sure if we know that there is stripe rust in our area, we have to have that fungicide available rapidly put on so that it protects the grain as it develops. Timing is critical. We are monitoring the situation daily. We're out looking and checking for it," explained Windes.
Windes said that many growers have planted Stripe Rust resistant grain but because of the cool weather, the plants resistance has most likely not been activated, leaving these plants still susceptible to the fungus.
