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Recommended procedure for making uredinial rust collections
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The Cereal Disease Laboratory (CDL) is most interested in collections made from rusted wheat, barley, oat, rye and grasses (stripe rust collections should be sent to Dr. Xianming Chen*).  Collection forms can be obtained from the Cereal Disease Laboratory.  Please follow the guidelines below to insure samples are viable when they reach the CDL or Dr. Chen.

Guidelines for cereal rust uredinial collections

We are most interested in small grain collections (wheat, barleys, oat and rye), but are also interested in stem rust collections from grasses, e.g.:

Wild barley (Hordeum. jubatum)

Wild oat (Avena fatua)

Little barley (Hordeum pusillum)

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Quack grass (Elytrigia repens)

Redtop (Agrostis gigantea)

Timothy (Phleum pratense)

Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata)

Jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica)

  

Images and descriptions for the above grass species can be found on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's PLANTS Database  website. Another resource is the Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium- Plants of Wisconsin website.

  1. Rust pustules should be fresh and fully developed, except when this may not be possible for the first uredinial collections found early in the season.

  2. When rusted small grain or grass plants are encountered, cut 5 to 10 sections of plant stem or leaf, 4 inches long with large and small pustules and place in the glassine bag attached to the collection form. Do not staple or tape the glassine bag, instead fold the top shut.

  3. Important information should be recorded, e.g., date, county, state, cultivar or line, crop stage, whether collection is from a nursery or commercial field, etc.  If the grass genera is unknown to the collector, a head maybe included with the stems or leaves in the glassine bag to aid in identification.

  4. Avoid exposure of plant specimens to direct sunlight or unusual heat of any kind, e.g. car dashboard, outside mailboxes, etc.

  5. You should have on hand a copy of our permit to mail live plant parts.  Permits can be obtained by contacting Dave Long ( david.long@ars.usda.gov) or Mark Hughes (mark.hughes@ars.usda.gov).

  6. Please promptly mail the collection form intact (several collections can be placed in an envelope) to:

Cereal Disease Laboratory, USDA-ARS
1551 Lindig Street
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108

As always, we thank you for your assistance!

 

*Dr. Xianming Chen
 USDA-ARS
 361 Johnson Hall
 Washington State University
 Pullman, WA 99164-6430