New strain of rust attacks 3 wheat varieties

A new strain of stripe rust showed up in Texas wheat in 2010 and defeated the resistance in several varieties. Now that the disease has moved into Kansas, it is attacking several resistant wheat varieties and succeeding.

The attack on Kansas wheat this year surprised many farmers because symptoms didn’t know until just a few weeks ago.

“This is a new strain and it has hammered our best resistance varieties,” Sedgwick County Agricultural Extension Agent Gary Cramer told a group of farmers on a Farm Bureau wheat tour with Congressman Mike Pompeo on Thursday, Farm Futures reported.

The three varieties with the best resistance that ended up being highly susceptible to the new strain were Armour, Everest and Tam 111.

On the tour, participants also visited several research plots sponsored by Monsanto where scientists are studying yield trials for the first year of varieties that may be developed with resistance to the new strain.

Sid Perry, Monsanto/West Bred senior breeder, told Farm Futures that “some of the potential new wheat varieties appear promising for rust resistance. However, research has been hampered by the fact that the 2010 strain is not present in Sedgwick County this year.”

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