Duration: 10/01/2002 to 09/30/2007

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Small grains, particularly wheat, barley and oat, range from being major to minor cash crops in states east of the Rocky Mountains. The types of small grains in this region are diverse. Hard red winter wheat is grown in the southern and central Great Plains. Hard red spring wheat, malting barley, and durum wheat are grown in the northern Great Plains. Soft red winter wheat is grown throughout most of the eastern half of the United States. Soft white winter wheat is grown in northeast and north central United States. Identity-preserved hard white winter wheat is grown in areas of Kansas, and this type of production has expanded into other areas, sometimes with poor results for growers because cultivars were not resistant to prevalent diseases. Feed barley and oat are grown to some extent throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Diseases attacking these small grains are diverse and vary greatly in annual severity and economic impact.

Small grain producers are using less tillage, shorter rotations, earlier seeding, and higher fertility levels to maximize economic returns and reduce soil erosion. All of these factors have profound effects on the incidence and severity of diseases attacking these crops. The buyers and users of these small grains are demanding higher levels of quality, and certain diseases are known to reduce various quality parameters. With small grain prices at historic lows (adjusted for inflation), producers are desperate for assistance in reducing production costs and minimizing yield and quality losses from diseases.

Wheat production is declining in most areas of eastern United States because of low prices and poor yield and grain quality as a result of disease. In much of this area, acreage is being diverted from small grains to soybean. This is causing more serious soilborne disease problems on soybean and corn because of shorter rotations between these crops. Improved management of small grain diseases would lead to greater profitability of these crops, encourage more production, and thereby have a direct effect on diseases of soybean and corn.

The pathogens causing diseases of small grains are dynamic in their geographic distribution and their ability to attack previously resistant cultivars. Epidemics of Fusarium head blight have devastated crops of soft red winter wheat, soft white winter wheat, hard red spring wheat, and malting barley over the past decade, causing millions of bushels in lost production, numerous farm and equipment sales, and disruption of farm families and whole communities. The widespread and severe epidemics of wheat stripe rust in regions where the disease previously had been a curiosity are a recent example of an old disease becoming a production constraint in new areas. The discovery of Karnal bunt in northern Texas in 2001 poses a real threat to future international wheat exports. If Karnal bunt becomes established in major production areas, international trade would be threatened and even domestic wheat sales likely would be severely affected by discounts in prices paid to growers with contaminated grain.

Increased emphasis on disease prevention and management will be needed to keep small grain producers competitive in international markets, to assure an ample supply of high-quality small grains for domestic consumption, and to minimize the adverse environmental impacts of small grain production. Given the decline in overall support for research and extension activities related to diseases of small grains, individual states are not likely to have sufficient research and extension resources to provide pertinent information for all diseases attacking small grains. Exchange of information and coordination of research and extension activities among small grain specialists in the region east of the Rocky Mountains would facilitate better management of small grain diseases. Currently, there is no interdisciplinary regional committee for such exchange and coordination. Recently, members of NCR-184 (Management of Head Scab of Small Grains) voted to not renew the committee and to form a new committee dealing with the management of all small grain diseases as described in this petition. It is anticipated that the broader scope of this proposed committee would attract research and extension personnel from more states than were involved in NCR-184. It is also anticipated that the proposed committee would function similar to the Western Coordinating Committee - 97, Diseases of Cereals, that primarily focuses on small grain diseases in states west of the Rocky Mountains, and the proposed committee may occasionally hold joint meetings with WCC-97 to enhance communication between the two regions.

Related, Current and Previous Work

Objectives

1. Facilitate collaborative research on current and emerging diseases of small grains and develop multi-disciplinary tactics for managing these diseases in the region east of the Rocky Mountains.
   
2. Promote the exchange of information, techniques, fungicide efficacy results, small grain lines and pathogen cultures among small grain researchers in order to coordinate the development of integrated management strategies for important small grain diseases.
   
3. Disseminate information on disease management to stakeholders via county extension agents, area specialists, crop consultants, and agricultural supply companies.
   
4. 
   

Methods

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

• more uniform evaluation of cultivars and breeding lines for resistance to soilborne wheat mosaic, spindle streak mosaic, powdery mildew, barley yellow dwarf, and Stagonospora blotch
• evaluating the effects of application methods and timings on the efficacy of various fungicides for foliar and head diseases.

Milestones

(0):0

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

We will disseminate information via a website, email, or joint extension publications to growers, consultants, and other agriculture industry personnel.

Organization/Governance

There will be two officers for NCR-XXX. A secretary will be elected at each annual meeting. The secretary records and distributes minutes of the annual meeting, and then becomes chair of the committee for the following year. The chair directs the activities of the committee, serves as the liaison between the committee and the administrative advisor, and makes arrangements for the next annual meeting.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

AR, IN, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, ND, NE, NY, OH, OK, PA, SD, TX, VA, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

USDA/ARS Grain Marketing and Production Research Center