a green leaf from a wheat plant with a stripe of yellowish rust — Stripe rust disease leaves a yellow or orange stripe on the leaves of young wheat plants. (Photo by Adobe Stock)

Stripe rust reported in southwest Oklahoma wheat fields

Friday, April 19, 2024

Media Contact: Gail Ellis | Editorial Communications Coordinator | 405-744-9531 | gail.ellis@okstate.edu

Wheat producers in southwest Oklahoma are reporting stripe rust disease in their fields, and Oklahoma State University Extension wheat pathologist Meriem Aoun says cases have spread north to Stillwater.

In a recent segment on “SUNUP,” the production agriculture television show of OSU Agriculture, Aoun advised producers across the state to scout for stripe rust now and apply fungicide as needed. Signs to look for on the plants include yellow-orange blister-like lesions on leaf blades. Typically, the lesions will form lines or stripes down the leaves.

To learn the level of resistance and susceptibility of stripe rust in different OSU wheat varieties, visit the variety characteristics page. Some varieties are only resistant during and after the flag-leaf stage of wheat plant growth, making them vulnerable to stripe rust before the adult life stage.

The OSU Extension foliar fungicides and wheat production fact sheet answers common fungicide questions regarding stripe rust.