Annual/Termination Reports:

[09/12/2011] [10/11/2012] [08/19/2013]

Report Information

Participants

Dill-Mackey, Ruth (ruthdm@umn.edu) - University of Minnesota; Dyer, Alan (adyer@montana.edu) - Montana State University; William Grey (wgrey@montana.edu) - Montana State University; John Sherwood (sherwood@montana.edu) - Montana State University

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Short-term Outcomes: Quantitative, measurable benefits of the research outputs as experienced by those who receive them. Examples include the adoption of a technology, the creation of jobs, reduced cost to the consumer, less pesticide exposure to farmers, or access to more nutritious food.<br /> <br /> Outputs: Defined products (tangible or intangible) that are delivered by a research project. Examples of outputs are reports, data, information, observations, publications, and patents. <br /> <br /> Activities: Organized and specific functions or duties carried out by individuals or teams using scientific methods to reveal new knowledge and develop new understanding. <br /> <br /> Milestones: Key intermediate targets necessary for achieving and/or delivering the outputs of a project, within an agreed timeframe. Milestones are useful for managing complex projects. For example, a milestone for a biotechnology project might be "To reduce our genetic transformation procedures to practice by December 2004.<br /> <br /> The reactions of hard red spring wheat, barley and oat cultivars to various diseases prevalent in Minnesota were disseminated to small grains producers on the Minnesota Variety Trials Results. This information provides growers with options and aids them in selecting cultivars that are appropriate for their area and risk level for the diseases prevalent in Minnesota.<br /> <br /> The 2010 Minnesota wheat crop (winter and spring and durum) was 1.67 million acres, with spring wheat planted on 1.6 million acres and winter wheat planted on 65,000 acres, up 18% from 2009. Spring wheat yields average 55 bu/A, 2 bu/A above the 2009 average.<br /> <br /> The University of Minnesota is currently advertising for an Extension Plant Pathologist - Assistant Professor. The position will be located at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center, Crookston MN. The responsibilities of the position include developing statewide extension and research programs on the causes and management of plant diseases, with an emphasis on small grains and canola.<br /> <br /> In Montana in 2011, four field presentations have been made to growers. In addition, three research publications and one extension bulletin were published. <br /> <br /> A former MSU doctoral student, Ernesto Moya, is now an assistant professor in Chile and we are very proud of him for his work here and have high hopes for his future.<br /> <br /> At Oregon State University significant efforts in genetics, breeding, and mapping of resistance are underway for most of our serious wheat diseases.<br /> Oregon State University is pleased to have Bob Zemetra joining OSU as the wheat breeder/geneticist as of May 23, 2011.

Publications

Mundt, C. C., Sackett, K. E., and Wallace, L. W. 2011. Landscape heterogeneity and disease Spread: Experimental approaches with a plant pathogen. Ecological Applications 21:321-328.<br /> <br /> Quincke, M. C., Peterson, C.J., Zemetra, R.S., Hansen, J.L., Chen, J., Riera-Lizarazu, O., and Mundt, C.C. 2011. Quantitative trait loci analysis for resistance to Cephalosporium stripe, a vascular wilt disease of wheat. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 122:1339-1349.<br /> <br /> Vazquez, M. D., Ammar, K., Chen, X.M., Crossa, J., Riera-Lizarazu, O., Mundt , C. C., and Peterson, C.J. 2011. Genetic analysis of adult plant, quantitative resistance to stripe rust in wheat cultivar Stephens in multi-environment trials. Theoretical and Applied Genetics:in press.<br /> <br /> Verhoeven, E.C., J. M. Bonman, P. Bregitzer, B. Brunick, B. Cooper, A. <br /> E. Corey, A. Cuesta-Marcos, T. Filichkina, C. C. Mundt, D. Obert, B. <br /> Rossnagel, K. Richardson and P. M. Hayes Registration of the BISON Genetic Stocks in Hordeum vulgare L. 2011. Journal of Plant Registrations 5: 135-140.<br /> <br /> Anderson, J.A., Linkert, G.L., Busch, R.H., Wiersma, J.J., Kolmer, J.A., Jin, Y., Dill-Macky, R., Wiersma, J.V., Harelend, G.A. and McVey, D.V. (2009). Registration of 'RB07' wheat. Journal of Plant Registrations, 3:175-180.<br /> <br /> Dill-Macky, R. (2010). Fusarium Head Blight (Scab), pp. 34-36. In: Compendium of Wheat Diseases and Pests, 3rd ed.; Bockus, W.W., Bowden, R.L., Hunger, R.M., Morrill, W.L., Murray, T.D., and Smiley, R.W. Eds.; The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN; 171 p.<br /> <br /> St. Pierre, S.L, Gustus, C., Steffenson, B.J., Dill-Macky, R. and Smith, K.P. (2010). Mapping net form net blotch and Septoria speckled leaf blotch resistance loci in barley. Phytopathology, 100:80-84.<br /> <br /> Di, R., Blechl, A., Dill-Macky, R., Tortora, A., and Tumer, N. (2010). Expression of a truncated form of yeast ribosomal protein L3 in transgenic wheat improves resistance to Fusarium Head Blight. Plant Science, 178:374-380.<br /> <br /> Massman, J., Cooper, B., Horsley, R., Neate, S., Dill-Macky, R., Chao, S., Dong, Y., Schwarz, P., Muehlbauer, G.J. and Smith K.P. (2010). Genome-wide association mapping of Fusarium head blight resistance in contemporary barley breeding germplasm. Molecular Breeding, DOI: 10.1007/s11032-010-9442-0.<br /> <br /> Smith, K.P., Rasmusson, D.C., Schiefelbein, E., Wiersma, J.J., Wiersma, J.V., Budde, A., Dill-Macky, R. and Steffenson, B.J. (2010). Registration of 'Rasmusson' barley. Journal of Plant Registrations, 4:167-170.<br /> <br /> Murray, T., Milus, G., De Wolf, E., Dill-Macky, R., Steffenson, B., Wegulo, S., Bergstrom, G., Sorrells, M., McMullen, M., Paul, P., Hunger, R., Mundt, C., Isard, S., Stein, J., Baker, H., Bulluck, R., Divan, C., Engle, J., Hebbar, P., Bowden, R., Carson, M., Chen, X., Jin, Y., Marshall, D., Smith, K. and Szabo, L. (2010). Recovery Plan for Stem Rust of Wheat caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici Ug99 (race TTKSK) and its derivatives. Posted to the USDA website (http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/npdrs) March 2010.<br /> <br /> Leisso, R., B. Jacobsen and M. Burrows. 2011. Pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. to chickpea seed and seedlings (Cicer arietinum L.). Can. J. Plant Pathol. 33: in press (July, 2011)<br /> <br /> Moya, E.A., Jacobsen, B.J., Hogg, A.C., Dyer, A.T. 2011. Population dynamics betweenFusarium pseudograminearum and Bipolaris sorokiniana in wheat stems using real-time qPCR. Plant Dis. (In press)<br /> <br /> Moya, E.A., Rew, L.J., Jacobsen, B.J., Hogg, A.C., Dyer, A.T. 2011. Distribution and severity of Fusarium crown rot and common root rot of wheat in Montana using real-time qPCR and conventional isolation. Plant Dis. (In press)<br /> <br /> M. Burrows, A. Dyer, and W. Grey. 2010. Small grain root and crown diseases. MSU Extension Publications MontGuide MT2010007AG.<br /> <br /> M. Burrows, F. Menalled, and D. Weaver. 2010. Common wheat pests in Montana, 2011 Calendar.<br /> <br /> K. McVay, M. Burrows, F. Menalled, and K. Wanner. 2010. Montana wheat production guide. MSU Extension Publications EB0197.<br /> <br /> M. Burrows. 3/1/2011. Time to test pulse seed for Ascochyta. Press Release.<br /> <br /> M. Burrows, F. Menalled, D. Weaver. 9/1/2010. Common wheat pests in Montana, 2011. Calendar.<br /> <br /> Burrows, M. 2011. Managing community diseases. Southern Alberta Conservation Society meeting. Lethbridge, AB, Canada.<br /> <br /> Burrows, M. 2011. Leveraging our resources: GPDN wheat virus survey outcomes and impacts. National Plant Diagnostic Network meeting. Berkeley, CA. <br /> <br /> Burrows, M. 2011. Invasive species: Plant Disease threats to Montana agriculture. Montana Invasive Species Summit. Helena, MT.

Impact Statements

1. Activities: Organized and specific functions or duties carried out by individuals or teams using scientific methods to reveal new knowledge and develop new understanding.
2. Milestones: Key intermediate targets necessary for achieving and/or delivering the outputs of a project, within an agreed timeframe. Milestones are useful for managing complex projects. For example, a milestone for a biotechnology project might be "To reduce our genetic transformation procedures to practice by December 2004."
3. Indicators: Qualitative surrogate observations or indirect measures of quantitative performance measures which permit monitoring the achievement of outcomes when direct measurement of performance is difficult, too costly, or not possible. In Minnesota, screening of breeding material for Fusarium Head Blight (wheat, barley and oat), leaf rust (wheat), stem rust (wheat), tan spot (wheat), net blotch (barley), septoria (wheat and barley) and loose smut (oat) was conducted on up to 5,000 wheat, 12,000 barley and 1,500 oat lines in 2010. The data are used by small grains breeders and geneticists to make selections for improved resistance.
4. Indicators (cont&lsquo;d): Testing of fungicides on wheat and barley for efficacy to Fusarium head blight was conducted in Minnesota as part of a national cooperative effort and recommendations of best management practices are made available to growers through the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) and MAES websites. Last year was a productive year in Montana as two graduate students completed their projects and defended their degrees. We are in the final year of seed treatment-winterkill project and will be taking final data for those trials in this August. We will also be completing a small project looking at the effects of Fusarium populations on fungal communities within wheat crown tissues using pyrosequencing of ITS region. Preliminary results for both projects will be presented at the APS meetings in Hawaii in August.

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Report Information

Participants

Juliet Marshall (jmarshall@uidaho.edu), Idaho State University; Dyer, Alan (adyer@montana.edu), Montana State University; William Grey (wgrey@montana.edu), MSU; John Sherwood (sherwood@montana.edu), MSU; Chris Mundt (mundt@science.oregonstate.edu), Oregon State University; Mike Flowers, OSU; Bob Zemetra, OSU; Larry Lutcher, OSU; Nicole Anderson, OSU; Tim Murray (tim.murray@WSU.edu), Washington State University; Xianming Chen (xianming@wsu.edu), ARS WSU; Henry Wetzel, WSU; Lee Jackson, (leejack@gmail.com) UC Davis

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

A collaboration between WSU & OSU to establish field plots to evaluate winter wheat varieties for resistance to Soilborne wheat mosaic virus was established. The plots have been tested for two years so far and the third plot is in the ground. The PNW Barberry Working group has been formed, which is composed of scientists from ID, OR, MT & WA who are coordinating educational activities on the role of barberry in black stem rust and the need to identify plants and eradicate them (website is a work in progress - http://cahnrs-cms.wsu.edu/pnwstemrust/Pages/default.aspx). A field plot was established in 2011 testing different methods of eradicating barberries using chemical and physical methods. This also includes the development of a GIS database of historical barberry eradication records to help locate potential sources of stem rust inoculum from barberries that have either regrown since the eradication program ended or escaped eradication. In Kansas, screening of breeding material for Fusarium Head Blight (wheat, barley and oat), leaf rust (wheat), stem rust (wheat), net blotch (barley), bacterial leaf streak (wheat and barley) and loose smut (oat) was conducted on up to 5,000 wheat, 12,000 barley and 1,500 oat lines in 2012. The data are used by small grains breeders and geneticists to make selections for improved resistance. Testing of fungicides on wheat and barley for efficacy to Fusarium head blight was conducted as part of a national cooperative effort and recommendations of the best management practices are made available to growers through the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) and MAES websites. As in previous years, estimates were made for yield losses due to wheat diseases for 2011. <br /> <br /> Wheat diseases were an important factor influencing wheat production in Kansas in 2011. Moderate winter temperatures favored development of virus diseases and low rainfall inhibited the development of foliar diseases. Viral diseases were of importance in 2011 as barley yellow dwarf virus and wheat streak mosaic had numerous reports. Lesion nematodes were common to Kansas fields and 2011 sampling again verified levels consistent with previous intensive surveys. Barley yellow dwarf was estimated to have caused 2.7% loss, wheat streak mosaic 1.7% loss, and lesion nematodes 1.6% loss. All other diseases including leaf rust and stripe rust accounted for less than 0.2 % combined losses. Disease phenotypes were determined in the greenhouse for numerous wheat accessions of importance to breeders, geneticists, and extension specialists. Phenotypes were determined for reaction to tan spot, Stagonospora nodorum blotch, Septoria tritici blotch, and Fusarium head blight. 13 field experiments were completed including wheat disease phenotyping nurseries (barley yellow dwarf, Cephalosporiuim stripe, and Fusarium head blight), fungicide efficacy trials (foliar and seed-treatment for control of tan spot/leaf rust, Fusarium head blight, take-all, Fusarium-damaged kernels, barley yellow dwarf, and common bunt), and epidemiological studies. <br /> <br /> Kansas coordinated the update of the nation-wide cooperative fungicide efficacy tables for wheat disease management. <br /> <br /> Cooperative development and deployment of disease prediction models continue development for Fusarium head blight in 30 states where this disease has been a serious production problem. Improvements included new technologies to communicate disease risk and timely management information to wheat and barley producers throughout the region. <br /> <br /> Kansas organized multi-state extension efforts to prepare for potential arrival of Ug99 stem rust in North America. These efforts included development of multi-state publications targeting identification and management of stem rust and other rust diseases of wheat and barley. <br /> <br /> Idaho growers were alerted in the fall of 2010 and throughout the winter and spring of 2011 to the potential impact of stripe rust in wheat. Disease alerts were sent and multiple presentations at grower meetings warned of the fall infection of Brundage soft white winter wheat with stripe rust and the potential for overwintering of the disease. Confirmed in the spring, overwintering infections continued to develop into major epidemics in both spring and winter wheat production throughout the state. Extension variety trials in Aberdeen were converted into stripe rust impact trials by spraying two reps with fungicides and allowing two reps to remain untreated. Documented results of up to 80% yield reduction were presented at grower meetings. Growers following fungicide application recommendations prevented 60-80% yield reductions in susceptible varieties. In the fall of 2011, no fall infection occurred in the area. Growers were again kept informed throughout the winter and into the spring of 2012. Fungicides were not recommended, saving growers significant application costs. As I predicted, stripe rust did not show up in southern Idaho until very late in the spring crop production and only in the most susceptible spring wheat lines. This was past the time that fungicide applications would have provided an economic benefit would have provided an economic benefit. <br /> <br /> Also in Idaho, reports were written for numerous trials, including Commodity Progress Reports such as Production Systems and Wheat Varieties for Dryland Grain and four Plant Disease Management Reports of seed treatment and foliar fungicide trials in wheat and barley. Growers were educated at various meetings of the potential impact of a re-emerging disease in Idaho, Fusarium head blight (FHB). A previous study of an FHB epidemic in the Magic Valley area in 1982 and 1984 identified F. culmorum as responsible for 76% of sampled FHB infections and F. graminearum for 2% of infections, with 22% of infections attributed to various other Fusarium species. An increasing incidence of FHB on wheat and barley in the Intermountain west (up to 40% FHB in some fields of WestBred 936 hard red spring wheat in 2012 and many truckloads of wheat tested over 5 ppm DON in 2011) is of great concern. In fact, we have documented a switch of FHB-causing organisms. Of the more than 700 FHB samples collected in 2011, 65% were identified as F. graminearum and only 12% were identified as F. culmorum with the remaining 23% attributed to various other Fusarium species. Samples collected in the Magic Valley region in this 2011 study (Rupert and Burley) resulted in 76% of all samples identified as F. graminearum, 7% of all samples identified as F. culmorum, and the remaining 17% of all samples identified as other Fusarium species. An almost exact flip in the dominant FHB-contributing fungi has occurred in the last 25 years in the Magic Valley. This switch in dominance is likely attributed to the increases in maize acreage in the region recorded over the past two decades in Idaho (from 165,000 acres in 1984 to 390,000 acres in 2011) with similar results in Montana (Alan Dyer, MSU, personal communication). <br /> <br /> Research was performed at the Aberdeen Research and Extension Center on various seed and foliar fungicide treatments to control foot rot disease, loose smut, and stripe rust. A screening nursery for varietal resistance to Fusarium dryland foot rot was also conducted in an inoculated field on station. <br /> <br /> Variety trials were conducted on farm in St. Anthony, ID, at a site previously documented to have very high pressure from the Cereal Cyst Nematode (CCN). Directed by Dick Smiley, these trials were planted to determine levels of resistance and tolerance to the CCN among hard white, hard red and soft white spring wheat. <br /> <br /> A variety with resistance comparable to the resistance Australian spring wheat Ouyen was identified in Idaho. WestBred-Rockland, a hard red spring wheat developed by WestBred, a unit of Monsanto, suppressed development of cysts. This is significant in that it is the first documentation of the first North American spring wheat cultivar known to be resistant to this cereal cyst nematode. WestBred Rockland, which will likely be used in breeding other resistant varieties, supported one cyst per plant root system at St. Anthony, comparable to an Australian variety in the trial known for its resistance to the nematode. A very susceptible variety, the hard red Westbred 936, supported 25 cysts per root system. Chemical treatments tested to control the nematode, however, haven't led to immediate yield improvements. Washington State University (Tim Murray and Xianming Chen) continues to provide invaluable Stripe Rust, Cephalosporium Stripe and Eyespot evaluations for Montanas winter wheat varieties as well as regional varieties of interest (See: accompanying tables). Bolstered by these studies, MSU Breeders and Pathologists (Phil Bruckner, Luther Talbert, Bill Grey and Alan Dyer) have renewed efforts to incorporating disease resistances identified by Drs. Tim Murray, Richard Smiley and Xiangming Chen into Montanas spring and winter wheat cultivars.

Publications

Flowers, M., P. Hamm, A.H. Carter, and T.D. Murray. 2012. Reaction of winter wheat cultivars and breeding lines to Soilborne wheat mosaic, 2011. Plant Disease Management Reports 6:CF025.<br /> <br /> Wetzel III, H.C. and T.D. Murray. 2012. Reaction of winter wheat cultivars and breeding lines to Cephalosporium stripe, 2011. Plant Disease Management Reports 6:CF022.<br /> <br /> Wetzel III, H.C. and T.D. Murray. 2012. Reaction of winter wheat cultivars and breeding lines to eyespot, 2011. Plant Disease Management Reports 6:CF021.<br /> <br /> Wetzel III, H.C. and T.D. Murray. 2012. Evaluation of fungicides to control eyespot in winter wheat, 2011. Plant Disease Management Reports 6:CF020.<br /> <br /> Dai. J., Wiersma, J.J. and Holen, D. (2012). Cultivar Mixtures in Hard Red Spring Wheat. Agron. J. 104:17-21.<br /> <br /> Gautam, P. and Dill-Macky, R. (2012). Fusarium head blight development and trichothecene accumulation in point-inoculated Fusarium infected wheat heads. World Mycotoxin Journal, 5:45-55.<br /> <br /> Gautam, P. and Dill-Macky, R. (2012). Impact of moisture, host genetics and Fusarium graminearum isolates on Fusarium head blight development and trichothecene accumulation in spring wheat. Mycotoxin Research, 28:45-58.<br /> <br /> Seda, B.F., Dill-Macky, R., Chao, S. and Anderson, J.A. (2012). QTL mapping reveals a potential inhibitor of FHB1 in hexaploid wheat. PO323, in: Proceedings of the Plant and Animal Genome XX Conference, Saint Diego, California, USA, January 14-18, 2012.<br /> <br /> Tekle, S., Dill-Macky, R., Skinnes, H., Tronsmo, A.M. and Bjørnstad Å. (2012). Infection process of Fusarium graminearum in oats (Avena sativa L.). European J. Plant Pathol., 132:431-442.<br /> <br /> Wiersma J.J., Dai, J. and Dahlen, R.B.A. (2012). Control of leaf spotting diseases and Fusarium head blight of wheat in Minnesota, 2010. Plant Disease Management Reports (accepted).<br /> <br /> Willyerd, K.T., Li, C., Madden, L.V., Bradley, C.A., Bergstrom, G.C., Sweets, L.E., McMullen, M.P, Ransom, J.K., Grybauskas, A.P., Osborne, L.E., Wegulo, S.N., Hershman, D.E., Wise, K.A., Bockus, W.W., Groth, D., Dill-Macky, R., Milus, A.E., Esker, P.D., Waxman, K.D., Adee, E.A., Ebelhar, S.E., Young, B.G. and Paul, P.A. (2012). Efficacy and stability of integrating fungicide and cultivar resistance to manage Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol in wheat. Plant Disease, 96:957-967.

Impact Statements

1. The collaboration between WSU & OSU to establish field plots to evaluate winter wheat varieties for resistance to Soilborne wheat mosaic virus resulted in a PDMR a report listed below (along with a few other extension-type pubs).
2. The reactions of hard red spring wheat, barley and oat cultivars to various diseases prevalent in Minnesota were disseminated to small grains producers on the Minnesota Variety Trials Results. This information provides growers with options and aids them in selecting cultivars that are appropriate for their area and risk level for the diseases prevalent in Minnesota.
3. Discussions among participants of the WERA-97 meetings have helped in the efficiency and accuracy of applied disease research efforts on winter wheat in Kansas. The following projects were aided by these meetings:
4. 1. determining the reactions of breeding lines and commercial winter wheat cultivars to various diseases (8 publications); 2. dissemination of disease-reaction data of cultivars to wheat producers (2 publications); and 3. the effect of seed-treatment and foliar fungicides on wheat diseases (3 publications). Progress toward identifying resistance to wheat pathogens has helped in the development of new, resistant wheat cultivars.
5. Determining the impact of fungicides on wheat diseases is necessary to develop accurate chemical control recommendations. Extension publications were produced to help producers make more efficient use of fungicides (2 publications).
6. Users of the FHB prediction models and the FHB Alert System where surveyed annually in 2009-2011. The survey results included input from 1016 respondents between 2009-2011 and indicated that 65% of these users were either farmers or farm advisors. Slightly more than 70% of the users applied the information directly on their farm, or used it to make recommendations about disease management to others.
7. Between 2009-2011, 94% of the users considered the information to be of high or moderate value for their farm operations and businesses. A subset of questions targeting influence of the information suggests that more than 90% of the users experienced a moderate or great improvement in their awareness of the disease risk in their area.
8. The results also showed that the information influenced disease management decisions directly for 35% of the respondents, and motivated another 26% to seek advice from others. The estimated net value of the disease prediction system to U.S. wheat growers exceeds $47 million.
9. A publication produced in preparation for the Ug99 stem rust was customized with logos and contact information (Land grant university and NPDN labs) for use in 26 states and 2 Canadian provinces. A national version of the publications (regional hubs of NPDN as contacts) was developed for the USDA-CDL. Over 111,000 printed publications were distributed as part of the project.
10. In 2011, a study was completed in Montana examining the roles of seed treatments on the control of winterkill in winter wheat and a small project looking at the effects of Fusarium populations on fungal communities within wheat crown tissues using pyrrosequencing of ITS region. Preliminary results for both projects were presented at the APS meetings in Hawaii in August. In 2012, three new graduate students will start in Alan Dyers research program.

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Report Information

Participants

Marshall, Juliet (jmarshall@uidaho.edu) - Idaho State University; Dyer, Alan (adyer@montana.edu) - Montana State University; Sherwood, John (sherwood@montana.edu) - Montana State University; Mundt, Chris (mundt@science.oregonstate.edu) - Oregon State University; Flowers, Mike (Mike.Flowers@oregonstate.edu) - Oregon State University; Zemetra, Bob (robert.zemetra@oregonstate.edu) - Oregon State University; Murray, Tim (tim.murray@WSU.edu) - Washington State University; Clark, Dale - WestBred

Brief Summary of Minutes

WERA 97 met June 18-19, 2013 in Pendleton, Oregon in a joint session with Western Wheat Workers. Following an update on the discovery of transgenic wheat in Oregon, state reports were given by both WWW and WERA participants. WERA 97 Reports were given by Washington (Tm Murray), Oregon (Mike Flowers and Chris Mundt), Montana (Alan Dyer), Idaho (Juliet Marshall), as well as from the industrial participants Syngenta, Limagrain, Dow AgroSciences and WestBred/Monsanto.


Both groups went on field trips to the Hermiston research nurseries the afternoon of June 18th and to the Ruggs Research site and the CBARC Research Station on June 19th.


The WERA 97 business meeting was held early afternoon on June 18th. There was discussion on how to improve participation, which is enhanced by meeting with other groups. It was decided to meet in Idaho in summer of 2014 and will communicate with NCERA to see if they would be interested in meeting jointly.

Accomplishments

1) In Kansas, determining the impact of fungicides on wheat diseases is necessary to develop accurate chemical control recommendations. Extension publications were developed and refined to help producers make more efficient use of fungicides. We are currently developing web-based tools to deliver this information.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2) A multi-state effort to predict epidemics of Fusarium head blight (FHB) continued during the 2012-growing season. This prediction effort includes web-based tools, which display daily estimates of disease risk for 30 states. Commentary developed by a disease specialist in each state is displayed along with the risk maps. Commentary is also distributed via an FHB Alert System. Users of the FHB prediction models and the FHB Alert System where surveyed in 2012. The survey results included input from 342 respondents and indicated that 62% of these users were either farmers or farm advisors. More than 68% of the users applied the information directly on their farm, or used it to make recommendations about disease management to others. In 2012, 96% of the users considered the information to be of high or moderate value for their farm operations and businesses. A subset of questions targeting the influence of the information suggests that more than 88% of the users experienced a moderate or great improvement in their awareness of the disease risk in their area. The results also showed that the information influenced disease management decisions directly for 33% of the respondents, and motivated another 30% to seek advice from others.<br /> <br /> <br /> 3) WERA-97 interactions resulted in joint WSU-OSU field trials to screen for resistance to the newly discovered soil-borne wheat mosaic virus in the PNW. These efforts resulted in the identification of one locally adapted variety with resistance, and a breeding line that also was resistant and released as a variety owing to its resistance and favorable agronomic traits.<br /> <br /> <br /> 4) Chris Mundt and Tim Murray are currently completing a review chapter on the biology and management of Cephalosorium stripe, a disease of great importance in the PNW and one that has never before been the subject of a review.<br /> <br /> <br /> 5) Resistance of Zymoseptoria triciti, causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch, to strobilurin fungicide was discovered in Oregon. This is the first such discovery in North America.<br /> <br /> <br /> 6) Testing of fungicides on wheat and barley for efficacy to Fusarium head blight was conducted as part of a national cooperative effort and recommendations of the best management practices are made available to growers through the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) and MAES websites.<br /> <br /> <br /> 7) Varietal development continues in southern Idaho (Dr. Jianli Chen) and Northern Idaho (Dr. Jack Brown), coordinated with the extension varietal testing (Dr. Juliet Marshall) and end-use quality testing (Katherine OBrien at the Aberdeen R&E Center). Testing of fungicidal and insecticidal seed treatments, foliar fungicides, and plant growth regulators continue at Aberdeen and on-farm. Screening for resistance to Fusarium crown rot in spring wheat is occurring in spring wheat and barley in a dedicated plot in Aberdeen. <br /> <br /> <br /> 8) Joint research with Oregon State University continues in the screening of wheat and barley varieties for resistance to cereal cyst nematode. Research trails are in Idaho (St. Anthony), Oregon and Washington State.

Publications

Impact Statements

1. Discussions among participants of the WERA-97 meetings have helped in the efficiency and accuracy of applied disease research efforts on winter wheat in Kansas. The following projects were aided by these meetings: 1. determining the reactions of breeding lines and commercial winter wheat cultivars to various diseases; 2. dissemination of disease-reaction data of cultivars to wheat producers; and 3. the effect of seed-treatment and foliar fungicides on wheat diseases. Progress toward identifying resistance to wheat pathogens has helped in the development of new, resistant wheat cultivars.
2. The reactions of hard red spring wheat, barley and oat cultivars to various diseases prevalent in Minnesota were disseminated to small grains producers on the Minnesota Variety Trials Results. This information provides growers with options and aids them in selecting cultivars that are appropriate for their area and risk level for the diseases prevalent in Minnesota.
3. In Minnesota, screening of breeding material for Fusarium Head Blight (wheat, barley and oat), leaf rust (wheat), stem rust (wheat), net blotch (barley), bacterial leaf streak (wheat and barley) and loose smut (oat) was conducted on up to 5,000 wheat, 12,000 barley and 1,500 oat lines in 2012. These data are used by small grains breeders and geneticists to make selections for improved resistance.

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