Management Strategies for Barley Yellow Dwarf on Winter Wheat in Kansas

Abstract

Barley yellow dwarf (BYD) is one of the most important wheat diseases in the state of Kansas. Several methods of disease management have been recommended to mitigate losses from BYD including the use of seed-treatment insecticides, delayed planting of winter wheat, and deploying cultivars with resistance to BYD. The goal of this research was to quantify the impact of these three management strategies, alone and in combination, on BYD disease progress and grain yields in Kansas. When field experiments were averaged over four years, treating seed with the insecticide imidacloprid (Gaucho) reduced the daily increase in the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) by 35.0% and corresponding yield losses from BYD by 16.4%. Compared with early planting, late planting reduced AUDPC by 47.9% and corresponding yield losses by 57.5%. Planting a moderately resistant cultivar reduced AUDPC by 80.9% and corresponding yield losses by 72.6% compared with a susceptible cultivar. When all three BYD management methods were combined, BYD was reduced by 95.2% and yield losses reduced by 97.1% when compared with not using any of the management methods. Therefore, integrating management practices can result in high levels of control of BYD in Kansas. Accepted for publication 4 May 2016. Published 7 June 2016.