Progress 08/15/09 to 08/14/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: From 2010 to 2012 field experiments and several extension activities were conducted in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin to accomplish the following objectives: 1) evaluate the relative disease management, yield, and economic benefits of early-season (pre flag-leaf emergence) and split foliar fungicide application in soft red winter wheat under different environmental conditions, 2) evaluate the relevance of existing flag-leaf-based foliar fungicide application thresholds and develop novel thresholds appropriate for current wheat production systems based on yield and economic criteria, and 3) implement training programs for soft red winter wheat production in the North Central region through winter workshops and field demonstrations. Data from a total of eight location-year "environments" were collected for objectives 1 and nine for objective 2. For both objectives 1 and 2, the experimental design was a randomized complete block, with a split-split-plot arrangement of cultivar (resistant and susceptible to Stagonospora leaf blotch) as the whole-plot in both experiments, fungicide treatment the sub-plot in experiment 1, Stagonospora inoculation timing the sub-sub-plot in experiment 1 and the sub-plot in experiment 2, and inoculum density as the sub-sub-plot in experiment 2. As part of the extension-outreach component of the project, meetings, workshops, and field days were conducted in each of the four states throughout the life of the project to train stakeholders on wheat growth stage identification, disease diagnosis, integrated management, and other aspects of wheat production. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Pierce Paul served as the lead PI and project director, with Drs. Laurence Madden (Ohio State University), Carl Bradley (University of Illinois) Kiersten Wise (Purdue University), Paul Esker and Shawn Conley (University of Wisconsin) as Co-PIs. In Ohio, Post-doctoral Researcher, Dr. Katelyn Willyerd, partially supported by funds from this project, assisted with the planting and maintenance of the plots, as well as, fungicide applications, disease assessments, grain harvest, and data collection and analysis. Dr. Willyerd coordinated the collection of data from participating states, facilitated communication with Co-PIs, and contributed to the dissemination of research findings to producers and extension educators. She is currently preparing manuscripts for publication in either Plant Disease or Phytopathology. During the first two years of the project, Research Associate George Buechley and Undergraduate Research Assistants Zachary Sexton and David Teska at Purdue University; Graduate student Karen Lackermann, Assistant Researcher Nancy Koval, and Senior Research Specialist John Gaska at the University of Wisconsin; and Research Assistant Matthew Wallhead at Ohio State also participated in, and were partially supported by, this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The targeted audience included university scientists, producers, extension educators/agents, seed dealers, seed inspectors, agribusiness personnel, and certified crop advisors. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
In objective 1, the effect of fungicide treatment on disease severity was statistically significant in five of the eight environments, with treated plots often having less disease than the check, regardless of application timing, except in cases of extremely low or high disease. In most environments, treatments applied at Feekes 8 or 10 had the lowest levels of disease and treatments applied prior to flag-leaf emergence, had the highest. In many cases, the disease levels observed in the early treatments were not significantly different from that of the untreated check. The effect of treatment on yield was statistically significant for five out of eight environments. A pooled multi-location analysis of the data from all environments revealed that the mean yield response to fungicide treatment ranges from 1.5 to 4.5 bu/acre, depending on the product and application timing. The probability of recovering the cost of fungicide treatment was lowest for Feekes 5 treatment and highest for applications made at Feekes 8 or at Feekes 10. However, even at a relatively high estimated grain price, the probability of recovering fungicide cost for the most effective treatments was only about 0.50 (50%). In experiment 2, late-season disease severity (Feekes 11.1 and 11.2), at all leaf positions within the canopy, had negative linear relationships with grain yield, except in cases of very low or very high disease. Throughout the three years of this project (2010 to 2012), these findings were presented at numerous extension events across the four states, where the audience included producers, extension educators/agents, seed dealers, seed inspectors, agribusiness personnel, and certified crop advisors. Hands-on workshops (such as the 2011 Agronomy Workshop in Wooster, Ohio) on diagnosis and management of diseases, pests, and nutrient deficiency and crop growth stage identification were also conducted. It was estimated that well over 5,000 people attended these events. Co-PIs also published numerous electronic newsletters addressing the aforementioned topics, increasing the number of stakeholders reached by our activities. For instance, in Ohio alone, there were 1,316 and 3,998 visits in April and June of 2011, respectively, to the Crop Observation and Recommendation Network website where electronic articles were published. In 2011, a new Purdue extension publication ("Managing Wheat by Growth Stage", http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID-422.pdf) and an extension video on early season disease assessment on winter wheat (WI) were released. Interest in wheat management was low in 2012 due in part to the fact that very little wheat was planted in the participating states. Consequently, there were fewer wheat-only extension activities in 2012 than in the previous two years. Manuscripts on the effect of early and split applications (objective 1) and disease-based application guidelines and thresholds (objective 2) are currently being prepared for peer review. In addition, over 3,000 Wheat Field guides (a pocket-sized reference book with agronomic information for disease and pest diagnosis and management) are being prepared at Purdue University.
Publications
- Paul, P. 2012. Wheat Vernalization and Crop Update. C.O.R.N 2012-06.
- Paul, P. 2012. Powdery Mildew and Septoria leaf blotch: This year the story is different. C.O.R.N 2012-12.
- Paul, P. 2012. Ohio Wheat is Ahead of Schedule. Is that Good or Bad. C.O.R.N 2012-11.
- Paul, P. and Salgado, J. D. 2012. Wheat Growth Stage and Cold Temperature Injury. C.O.R.N 2012-09.
- Paul, P. and Salgado, J. D. 2012. Wheat Growth Stage and Foliar Fungicide Applications. C.O.R.N 2012-09.
- Bradley, C. A. 2012. Stripe rust of wheat moving northward. University of Illinois Pest Management and Crop Development Bulletin, Issue no. 2, on-line at: bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu.
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Progress 08/15/10 to 08/14/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the second year of this project, field experiments and several extension activities were conducted in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin to accomplish the following objectives: 1) evaluate the relative disease management, yield, and economic benefits of early-season (pre flag-leaf emergence) foliar fungicide application in soft red winter wheat under different environmental conditions (completed in IL and WI only, due to flood and freeze injury at IN and OH locations), 2) evaluate the relevance of existing flag-leaf-based foliar fungicide application thresholds and develop novel thresholds appropriate for current wheat production systems based on yield and economic criteria, and 3) implement training programs for soft red winter wheat production in the North Central region through winter workshops and field demonstrations. Plots were established in the fall of 2010, treatments applied and disease quantified during the spring of 2011, and grain harvested and grain quality evaluated in early-summer 2011. For both objectives 1 and 2, the experimental design was a randomized complete block, with a split-split-plot arrangement of treatment factors. Cultivar (resistant and susceptible to Stagonospora leaf blotch) was the whole-plot in both experiments, fungicide treatment was the sub-plot in experiment 1, Stagonospora inoculation timing was the sub-sub-plot in experiment 1 and the sub-plot in experiment 2, and inoculum density was the sub-sub-plot in experiment 2. Nine foliar fungicide treatments were applied in experiment 1: Prosaro applied at full rate at Feekes 5, 8, and 10 (treatments 1, 2 and 3); Prosaro at half the recommended rate at Feekes 5 follow by a second half-rate at Feekes 8 (treatment 4); Headline applied at full rate at Feekes 5, 8, and 10 (treatments 5, 6, and 7); Headline at half the recommended rate at Feekes 5 followed by a second half-rate at Feekes 8 (treatment 8); and an untreated control (treatment 9). Disease severity was rated at multiple growth stages and the functional relationships between severity at each growth stage/leaf position combination and grain yield were modeled, as well as the relationship between early-season/lower-canopy disease severity and later-season/upper-canopy disease severity. As part of the extension-outreach component of the project, meetings, workshops, and field days were conducted in each of the four states to train stakeholders on wheat growth stage identification, disease diagnosis, integrated management, and other aspects of wheat production. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Pierce Paul served as the lead PI and project director, with Drs. Laurence Madden (Ohio State University), Carl Bradley (University of Illinois) Kiersten Wise (Purdue University), and Paul Esker and Shawn Conley (University of Wisconsin) as Co-PIs. In Ohio, Research Assistant, Matthew Wallhead, and Post-doctoral Researcher, Dr. Katelyn Willyerd, both partially supported by funds from this project, assisted with the planting and maintenance of the plots, as well as, fungicide applications, disease assessments, grain harvest, and data collection and analysis. Dr. Willyerd coordinated the collection of data from participating states, facilitated communication with Co-PIs, and contributed to the dissemination of research findings to producers and extension educators. This project contributes to the training of Matthew Wallhead, who is also a part-time graduate student pursuing a MS degree in plant pathology. TARGET AUDIENCES: The targeted audience included university scientists, producers, extension educators/agents, seed dealers, seed inspectors, agribusiness personnel, and certified crop advisors. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Two years of data from the project are currently being analyzed. Based on preliminary analysis, there is no evidence to support the early (pre-flag leaf emergence) application of fungicides in wheat. In general, this was consistent among locations and years. Further finding on the effect of early application (Obj 1) and disease-based application guidelines (Obj 2) will ultimately be used to develop fungicide decision thresholds for foliar disease management in wheat. These novel thresholds will improve fungicide use efficiency and reduce unwarranted applications for foliar disease management in soft red winter wheat. This will likely minimize the negative economic and environmental impacts of unnecessary fungicide use in wheat production. Data from both years were used to prepare extension-outreach materials for meetings and workshops. Over one dozen workshops and meetings were held across all four states to address wheat management. These included joint workshops held during the winter and field days held during early summer. A hands-on approach to growth stage identification was facilitated with live plant material when available. During the two years of the project, there were more than 5,000 attendees at project-related extension events across the four states, including producers, extension educators/agents, seed dealers, seed inspectors, agribusiness personnel, and certified crop advisors. Co-PIs also made use of online outlets to reach stakeholders by publishing timely electronic newsletters addressing the aforementioned topics, a new Purdue extension publication and releasing an extension video on early season disease assessment on winter wheat made available in the spring (WI).
Publications
- Wise, K., Johnson, B., Mansfield, C., and Krupke, C. 2011. Managing Wheat by Growth Stage. Purdue Extension ID-422.
- Esker, P. 2011. University of Wisconsin-Extension YouTube: Winter Wheat Disease Risk Assessment: Early Season.
- Paul, P. 2011. Wheat Fungicide Seed Treatment. C.O.R.N 2011-28.
- Paul, P. 2011. Wheat Update: Disease and Crop Development as the Weather Changes. C.O.R.N 2011-16.
- Paul, P., and Mills, D. 2011. Wheat Disease Management as we Approach Critical Growth Stages . C.O.R.N 2011-12.
- Paul, P. and Mills, D. 2011. Early Foliar Fungicide Applications: What are we seeing C.O.R.N 2011-10.
- Paul, P. Willyerd, K., and Mills, D. 2011. Timing of Foliar Fungicide Applications in Wheat. C.O.R.N 2011-04.
- Wise, K. 2011. Purdue Extension workshops tackle wheat production issues. http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/events/2011/110125WiseWorkshops.html.
- Conley, S., Esker, P., Martinka, M., Gaska, J., and Koval, N. 2011. A3868 Wisconsin winter wheat performance tests 2011.
- Esker, P. 2011. Lancaster and Janesville winter wheat May 31, 2011. Wisconsin Crop Manager 18(12): 47.
- Esker, P. 2011. Chilton and Arlington winter wheat May 30, 2011. Wisconsin Crop Manager 18(12): 46.
- Esker, P. 2011. Wheat scouting update and disease thresholds. Wisconsin Crop Management 18(10): 39.
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Progress 08/15/09 to 08/14/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the first year of this project, two field experiments and several extension activities were conducted in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin with the objectives of 1) evaluating the relative disease management, yield, and economic benefits of early-season (pre flag-leaf emergence) foliar fungicide application in soft red winter wheat under different environmental conditions, 2) evaluating the relevance of existing flag leaf based foliar fungicide application thresholds and developing novel thresholds appropriate for current wheat production systems based on yield and economic criteria, and 3) implementing training programs for soft red winter wheat production in the North Central region using winter workshops and field demonstrations. Plots were established in the fall of 2009, treatments applied and disease quantified during the spring of 2010, and grain harvested and grain quality evaluated in early summer 2010. Stand count and yield data were also collected from variety trials in each state. As part of the extension-outreach component of the project, meetings, workshops, and demonstrations were conducted in each of the four states to train stakeholders on wheat disease identification, quantification, and management, and other aspects of wheat production. There were a total of 24 wheat extension events across the four states, covering topics such as wheat growth stage identification, scouting and disease diagnosis, integrated management of wheat diseases, and fungicide efficacy and timing. In two of the four states (OH and WI), spring wheat plots were planted with susceptible varieties and used for hands-on disease and growth stage identification. Co-PIs also published numerous electronic newsletters addressing the aforementioned topics. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Pierce Paul served as the lead PI and project director, with Drs. Laurence Madden (Ohio State University), Carl Bradley (University of Illinois) Kiersten Wise (Purdue University), and Paul Esker and Shawn Conley (University of Wisconsin) as Co-PIs. In Ohio, Research Assistant, Matthew Wallhead, and Post-doctoral Researcher, Dr. Katelyn Willyerd, both partially supported by funds from this project, assisted with the planting and maintenance of the plots, as well as, fungicide applications, disease assessments, grain harvest, and data collection and analysis. Dr. Willyerd coordinated the collection of data from participating states, facilitated communication with Co-PIs, and contributed to the dissemination of research findings to producers and extension educators. This project contributes to the training of Matthew Wallhead, who is also a part-time graduate student pursuing a MS degree in plant pathology. Research Associate George Buechley and Undergraduate Research Assistants Zachary Sexton and David Teska at Purdue University, and Assistant Researcher Nancy Koval and Senior Research Specialist John Gaska at the University of Wisconsin also participated in, and were partially supported by, this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The targeted audience included producers, extension educators/agents, seed dealers, seed inspectors, agribusiness personnel, and certified crop advisors. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Data from the first year of the project are still being collected and analyzed. Based on preliminary results, there is no evidence to support the early (pre flag leaf emergence) application of fungicides in wheat. Further finding on the effect of early application (Obj 1) and disease-based application guidelines (Obj 2) will ultimately be used to develop fungicide decision thresholds for foliar disease management in wheat. These novel thresholds will improve fungicide use efficiency and reduce unwarranted applications for foliar disease management in soft red winter wheat. This will likely minimize the negative economic and environmental impacts of unnecessary fungicide use in wheat production. Year 1 data will also be used to prepare extension-outreach materials for meetings and workshops scheduled for year 2 of the project. In this first year, a total of approximately 2,500 people attended extension events across the four states, including producers, extension educators/agents, seed dealers, seed inspectors, agribusiness personnel, and certified crop advisors. Co-PIs also published numerous electronic newsletters addressing the aforementioned topics, increasing the number of stakeholders reached by our activities. For instance, in Ohio alone, there were 1,316 and 3,998 visits in April and June, respectively, to the Crop Observation and Recommendation Network website where electronic articles were published.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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