Stripe Rust Found In Colorado

Last year was a very bad year for stripe rust in Colorado as well as other Central Plain states. Some areas had early snow and had consistent snow cover throughout the winter which protected the strip rust innoculom. Colorado State University Bio-Agricultural Sciences and Pest Management Assistant Professor Dr. Kirk Broders says winter wheat producers should be on the lookout for stripe rust in their fields.
Broders: “Simply getting out and scouting is the biggest call to action. So I think most are aware of what rust looks like. There are a couple of different rust of wheat so there is: stripe rust, leaf rust and stem rust. Stem rust is not going to be here this early — it doesn’t get this far north until very late in the season, if at all. What is present is stripe rust and leaf rust. Stripe rust is a little bit brighter orange colored and leaf rust is a little bit darker brown color. Regardless both can significantly impact yields. So simply knowing whether or not you have rust present and then also how much rust. Then you can decide whether you think a fungicide application early on is worth the investment or if you think you will be fine waiting until doing a flag leaf application.”