Location: Crop Production and Protection
Project Number: 0500-00102-001-023-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2020
End Date: Jun 30, 2024
Objective:
Additional information about the role of environment in pathogen survival, movement of inoculum and disease develop is essential to the development of robust predictive models of rust diseases and Parastagonospora leaf blotch. Therefore, the first year of the wheat Predictive Model Tool Initiative will focus on the following objectives : 1) Develop a database of historical disease epidemics in the U.S that will serve as a foundation for the modeling effort; 2) Quantify the relationship between pathogen inoculum density, disease development, and weather in small plot trials; 3) Quantify the relationships between pathogen inoculum, disease development and weather in commercial fields.
Approach:
Cooperator PI will participate in Objective 1 by identifying and compiling the best-available records of disease epidemics along with weather and cropping system data in site-specific observations from replicated wheat variety evaluations, and fungicide efficacy experiments (non-inoculated, non-fungicide treated locations) for the past 12-15 years. For Objective 2, small-plot trials will be established to investigate the association between in-field crop residues, inoculum density, and disease development of tan spot and Stagnospora leaf blotch. In addition, two plots planted with leaf rust and stripe rust susceptible varieties will be established near the above plots. Rust assessment will be made by visually inspecting the plants at weekly intervals with disease severity estimated with the aid of standard area diagrams. Spore samplers placed in the center of the plots will be used to monitor air samples for all pathogens. For Objective 3, the amount of wheat residue on the soil surface will be estimated for 20 selected spring wheat production fields in four distinct production regions in South Dakota. The wheat stubble will be sampled in these fields and sent to the National Agricultural Genotyping Center for analysis and inoculum quantification in the spring. In addition, weather stations will be placed within each region along with spore samplers and samples collected every 7-14 days. The disease intensity in the fields will be quantified. All data will be sent to the modeling PIs.
